My Everything
by Zanessalover576
Summary: Troy and Gabriella have been dating for seven years. They both have jobs that require a lot of time from each of them. Follow the couple as they navigate life and the challenges that it may bring.
1. This is Our Life

Gabriella unlocked the door to her home that she shared with Troy, her boyfriend of seven years. She threw her keys on the entry table and placed her purse beside it. Taking off her jacket and shoes she took a deep breath and released it, leaving all her work stress at the door. Gabriella walked upstairs and went into the bedroom and picked out a pair of sweats and a tank top, her after work attire. Gabriella was a lawyer for a big firm in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She had just finished closing statements for a court case that she had been working on for a year and a half today. Gabriella walked into the bathroom and took a shower and washed the day off. Twenty minutes later, Gabriella walked out of the bathroom, putting her clothes and towel in the hamper and walking downstairs. She walked down the hall to Troy's office to see if he was home. Gabriella smiled when she saw a note on the office door.

_Hi baby, I'm on a phone meeting until six. Poke your head in to say hi. Xoxo Troy _

Gabriella slowly opened the office door and smiled when she saw her boyfriend sitting at his desk and looking at his computer, talking to his team. Troy heard the door open and looked up and smiled. He motioned for Gabriella to come closer. Gabriella walked over to Troy and kissed his cheek softly. Troy stood up and stretched. He kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"I am almost done. Give me ten minutes" Troy whispered.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled and winked at Gabriella. Gabriella smiled and walked out of the office and closed the door quietly behind her. Ten minutes later, Troy opened his office door. He yawned and walked into the kitchen, where Gabriella was trying to figure out what they were going to eat for dinner. Troy walked over to Gabriella and wrapped his arms around her from behind. Gabriella melted into Troy's body.

"Hi baby, how were the closing arguments?" Troy asked.

"Good. I'm happy that everything worked out as well as it did. How was your meeting?" Gabriella asked.

"Good. We have a lot of work to get done still on this project for next year" Troy said kissing her cheek.

Troy was a business manager for a large company in Albuquerque. He had been flown to different parts of the state to make sure each piece of the company was running smoothly.

"Oh. Was that Blake on the phone?" Gabriella asked.

"Blake and Mike. We are trying to figure out where to go next for a possible secondary location" Troy said.

"Oh" Gabriella said.

The couple made dinner and ate together.

"Have you talked to your mom this week?" Troy asked.

"No. She had a bunch of meetings" Gabriella said.

"How long is she in town for?" Troy asked.

"A week and a half. But it isn't anyone's fault. I had my case, you were working, and she was working" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Yeah. Is she still coming for Taylor's baby shower?" Troy asked.

Taylor McKessie-Danforth was Gabriella's best friend. She was married to Troy's best friend, Chad. Taylor was seven months pregnant with her and Chad's first child.

"I think so. I haven't asked" Gabriella said.

"She still bugging you about it?" Troy asked knowing that Taylor probably pushed Gabriella and made her feel bad about her relationship status.

Gabriella sighed and closed her eyes and nodded. Troy smiled sympathetically.

"They got married at their own pace. We will get married at our own pace. Taylor shouldn't have a say in what goes on between us. This is our private life" Troy said.

"I've tried to tell her to butt out, but she doesn't understand" Gabriella said wrapping her arms around Troy's neck.

Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"It will happen, sweetheart. Everything just needs to calm down" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"And I get that. We have a lot going on that she and Chad don't" Gabriella said.

"Exactly" Troy said.

"I don't have to have a ring on my finger to prove that I love you" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips.

"I love you baby" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"I love you too, wildcat. So much" Gabriella said.

A couple months had gone by. Gabriella had received a new case and was working on a court date. She was at her office, working when the phone rang.

"Gabriella Montez" Gabriella said sweetly.

"Hi baby" Troy said.

"Hi Troy, are you home already?" Gabriella asked.

"I am about to leave the office. Blake wanted to go over some last-minute details. But I wanted to know if you would like to have dinner out?" Troy asked.

"Sure, where?" Gabriella asked.

"That's for me to know and you, my dear, to find out. When will you be home?" Troy asked.

"An hour," Gabriella said.

"Okay, I'll see you in a little bit" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled into the phone.

"Bye baby. I love you" Gabriella said.

"I love you too" Troy said.

The couple hung up. An hour later, Gabriella pulled into the driveway and parked her car. She walked to into the house and smiled when she saw Troy, out of his work clothes, and in nice dark blue button-up shirt and black slacks. Gabriella kissed Troy's lips.

"You look so handsome, baby" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Thank you, sweetheart" Troy said.

"Let me go change and we can go" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Troy said.

Gabriella walked upstairs and changed out of her work clothes. She picked out a soft pink dress that hit the top of her knee. Gabriella took her hair out of bun that she had and brushed it out, leaving her hair in soft waves. She put on a pair of cream-colored heels and walked downstairs. Troy smiled brightly when he saw Gabriella walk down the stairs.

"Ready" Gabriella said.

"You look so beautiful" Troy said.

Gabriella blushed.

"Thank you. Where are we going?" Gabriella asked.

Troy looked at Gabriella and smiled.

"Top secret" Troy said simply.

"Trooooy!" Gabriella whined.

"Brieeeeeeee" Troy mimicked.

Gabriella crossed her arms.

"You will know soon" Troy said.

The couple left the house. Troy drove to one of Gabriella's favorite restaurants. Troy and Gabriella got out of the car and walked into the restaurant, hand-in-hand. The couple was seated immediately.

"So, you can sleep in a little bit tomorrow" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled at the thought.

"Yeah, it is a much-needed sleep. I've been so stressed out about all the details of today that I never imagined what it would be like if it was done" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"It's your passion and you are Gabriella Montez" Troy said.

Gabriella giggled.

"Am I really that bad?" Gabriella asked.

"No. It's one of the reasons why I love you so much" Troy said.

"When are you going to fly out to your next location, superman?" Gabriella asked.

Troy chuckled.

"The beginning of next month. I have a couple things that I need to take care of before then" Troy said.

"Work stuff?" Gabriella asked.

"A little. But I also have an engagement party that we need to attend" Troy said.

Gabriella turned her head to the side.

"Who is getting married?" Gabriella asked.

"A pretty brunette that works so hard at what she does" Troy said softly.

Gabriella's eyes filled with tears. Troy cleared his throat and pulled out a box from his jacket. Gabriella gasped.

"Troy" Gabriella said breathlessly.

"I don't want to spend my life with anyone else but you, Gabriella. I love you so much. I know that things are a little crazy with work, but we always make it work. We are veterans in that department. When I first met you, I never wanted to let you go. No distance between us mattered. Our love for each other grew each day" Troy started.

Gabriella put her hand on Troy's face. Troy kissed her hand. He got up from his seat and got down on one knee.

"Gabriella Montez, will you marry me?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded as she cried.

"Yes, Troy, yes!" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He stood up and kissed Gabriella's lips softly, but passionately. Gabriella pulled back slowly. Troy opened the ring box and slid the ring on Gabriella's finger.

"It's beautiful, Troy!" Gabriella said.

Troy kissed Gabriella's cheek. Later that night, Gabriella walked into the bedroom after her shower.

"Hi Fiancée" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"Hi Fiancée" Gabriella said.

Gabriella got into bed and snuggled into Troy's chest. She looked at the ring on her finger.

"What did my mother say when you asked her?" Gabriella asked.

"She was really happy. She told me that I took care of you and if your dad was alive, he would have approved of us too" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled and kissed Troy's lips softly. A couple weeks later, Gabriella came home late from work. She walked into the house and went to find Troy. Gabriella walked to Troy's office and smiled when she saw him leaning back in his office chair. She knocked on the open door. Troy looked at Gabriella and smiled.

"Hey baby" Troy said.

"Hey" Gabriella said tiredly.

"How was the office today?" Troy asked.

"Long and rough" Gabriella said.

"Chad came over with our guest list for the engagement party. Taylor has promoted Chad as maid of honor and best man until she has the baby" Troy said.

Gabriella giggled.

"Is everything ready?" Gabriella asked.

"She said everything is set up" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Gabriella walked deeper into the office and looked at Troy's bookshelf which held pictures of them. Gabriella smiled looking at the pictures and remembering the memories from each one. She was lost in the pictures that she didn't notice Troy had gotten up and wrapped his arms around her.

"I love you" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled and looked at Troy's face.

"I love you too" Gabriella said leaning in and kissing his lips.

The couple walked out of Troy's office.

"Chad also mentioned that Taylor wanted to have pictures of us and our families at the party. I got a couple that I really liked" Troy said.

"I have to pick some. I'll have to go through my dad's stuff also" Gabriella said.

Troy held Gabriella tighter.

"Do you want me to go through that stuff with you, baby?" Troy asked knowing how sensitive the subject was.

Gabriella nodded.

"Yeah" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled and nodded. The couple walked upstairs to their bedroom. Troy sat on the edge of their bed. Gabriella went to the closet and pulled out a box that had "dad" written in red marker. Gabriella brought it over to Troy and sat down on the floor in front of him. She opened the box and took out a stack of pictures. Gabriella held the stack in her hands and lowered her head. Troy saw Gabriella's shoulders shake. He got off the bed and held Gabriella as she cried.

"I just realized it" Gabriella said softly.

"I know, sweetheart. That's why I wanted to do this with you so that you didn't have to do it by yourself" Troy said.

Gabriella slowly went through the pictures with Troy. An hour and a half later, Gabriella was emotionally exhausted. She climbed into bed. Troy looked at Gabriella and smiled.

"How are you feeling?" Troy asked.

"Better. Thank you for going through that with me" Gabriella said.

Troy kissed Gabriella's forehead.

"Of course. Get some sleep" Troy said.

Gabriella leaned in and kissed Troy's lips. The next day was the couple's engagement party. The couple's friends and families gathered at a small restaurant. Troy kept an eye on Gabriella. He knew that her the topic of her dad stung, and he wanted to ensure that she had support.

"Hoops, great party" Chad said.

Troy and Chad shook hands.

"Yeah, man. Thanks for helping us today. We really appreciate it" Troy said.

"How are you and Gabs feeling about the wedding?" Chad asked.

"We are taking everything as it comes. We are excited, but also anxious. There is a lot of planning and a lot of emotions" Troy said.

Chad smiled and nodded.

"Gabriella, okay?" Chad asked knowing what he was talking about.

Troy nodded.

"We talked and we are taking things with that slowly. I don't want her to feel overwhelmed by it all" Troy said.

"Has Maria mentioned anything?" Chad asked.

"No. This is Gabriella's thing. This is a milestone in our life that she needs her dad" Troy said.

Chad nodded.

"I'll keep an extra eye on her" Chad said.

"Thanks man" Troy said.

Troy walked around the party, looking for his fiancée. He smiled when he found her talking to his mother.

"Two of my favorite people" Troy said kissing Gabriella's lips and his mother's cheek.

"Troy, how do you feel? You and Gabi are finally getting married" Lucille Bolton said.

"I am so happy. Brie is my everything" Troy said looking at Gabriella.

Gabriella smiled.

"I'll leave you two to talk" Lucille said kissing Troy and Gabriella's cheeks.

Lucille walked away. Troy kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"How are you feeling, baby?" Troy asked.

"I'm so happy. Yeah, we have things that we need to address, but everything is perfect" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Chad talked to me" Gabriella said reading his mind.

Troy took a deep breath and sighed.

"I just was looking out for you" Troy said.

Gabriella kissed Troy's lips.

"I appreciate it" Gabriella said.

The couple and their family and friends celebrated. A couple days later, Troy brought his suitcase downstairs. Gabriella looked at her fiancée.

"Are you sure that you don't want me to drop you off at my parents house?" Troy asked for the fifth time that day.

"Yes, baby. I'll be fine. It's two days" Gabriella said.

"I know. I just worry about you being here alone" Troy said.

Gabriella leaned in and kissed Troy's lips.

"I'll be fine. I have to help Tay with baby shower stuff, and I am going to go dress shopping with my mom" Gabriella said.

"Alright" Troy said.

The couple waked outside. Troy put his suitcase in his truck.

"I'll call you when I get to the hotel" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I love you Brie" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"I love you too Troy" Gabriella said.

Troy kissed Gabriella one last time before he got into his car and drove away. That night, Gabriella was at Taylor and Chad's.

"So how do you feel to be an engaged woman?" Taylor asked.

"I am really happy. I love Troy so much" Gabriella said.

"Any plans for after the wedding?" Taylor asked.

Gabriella giggled.

"We haven't discussed it yet" Gabriella said.

"You guys have a lot to talk about once Troy gets back" Taylor said.

"I know. I was thinking about it" Gabriella said anxiously.

"But, knowing Troy, he will be open to talking about it" Taylor said.

Gabriella nodded. Later that night, the phone rang.

"Hello?" Gabriella answered.

"Hi baby" Troy said.

"How was the drive?" Gabriella asked.

"So much traffic. Did you go hang out with Tay?" Troy asked.

"Yeah. She made me anxious Gabriella said.

"About what?" Troy asked.

"She asked if we had talked about our plans after the wedding" Gabriella said.

"We haven't gotten to that yet and you shouldn't worry about it either, Brie. This is Taylor we are talking about" Troy said.

"And I know that it is not a conversation that I want to have over the phone" Gabriella said.

"I agree with you. But we can talk about it when I get home" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Troy and Gabriella knew that they had a lot to discuss before they got married. But, they knew that they were going to be able to get through all the challenges that life would bring them together.


	2. Mr and Mrs Troy Bolton

A day and a half later, Troy opened the front door and heard two laughing voices. He set his suitcase down by the stairs. Troy walked into the kitchen and smiled when he saw Gabriella and Taylor sitting at the center island drinking a glass of wine and looking through wedding magazines.

"Looks like I should go back to work seeing that you have been having so much fun without me" Troy said.

Gabriella turned around and smiled. She got up and jumped into Troy's arms.

"Welcome home, baby" Gabriella said kissing his lips.

"Thanks. What are you guys doing?" Troy asked.

"Wedding planning. Tay left Eli with Chad so that she could come over and help" Gabriella said.

Troy raised his eyebrow.

"Chad is home alone with the baby? Tay, you gave him that responsibility?" Troy joked.

Taylor giggled. Taylor had Eli two weeks ago. He was the spitting image of Chad.

"He has a baby monitor and one of those cameras that you can place in the nursery. He can't do anything wrong with that. He can watch his game and take care of his son" Taylor said.

Troy smiled.

"How's the wedding planning going? Do you need my help, Brie?" Troy asked.

"What do you think about a winter wedding?" Gabriella asked.

Troy smiled and kissed Gabriella's head.

"I think that it would be perfect since we did meet in the winter" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled and kissed Troy's cheek.

"Ten bucks, Tay" Gabriella said.

"You guys bet on what I would say?" Troy asked incredulously.

"Tay thought you would want a summer wedding so that I could be in a bikini" Gabriella said taking the ten dollars bill out of Taylor's hand.

"I mean I would not mind that. But the winter wedding sounds more us" Troy said.

Taylor shook her head.

"What else can I help with?" Troy asked.

"The date. We need to set a date" Gabriella said.

"What about new years eve?" Troy asked.

Gabriella raised her eyebrow.

"Troy, you are such a romantic" Taylor said giggling.

"What? That's common sense" Troy said.

"I love that about you though" Gabriella said.

Troy shook his head.

"New years eve is the date of our wedding" Gabriella said.

Taylor wrote down the date in a binder that had fifty different tabs in it.

"Looks like our work is done for today. I have to go make sure my son is still alive" Taylor said.

The couple laughed. Taylor left the house.

"So, besides planning, what did you do while I was gone?" Troy asked as the couple walked upstairs.

"Planning and working on my case" Gabriella said.

"How's the new case going?" Troy asked.

"Fine. Just a lot of paperwork so far" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. They reached the bedroom and Troy started to unbutton his shirt. He took it off and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"So, we have a lot to talk about Mr. Bolton" Gabriella said wrapping her arms loosely around Troy's neck.

"Where do you want to start?" Troy asked.

"How many kids do want?" Gabriella asked.

Troy smiled.

"I want three. What about you?" Troy asked.

"Same. I want a big family" Gabriella said.

"Cross that off the list" Troy said.

Gabriella giggled.

"Taylor driving you crazy with all the questions, yet?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"She called me at seven this morning asking about tableware" Gabriella said.

Troy chuckled.

"You knew this would happen once you appointed her maid of honor" Troy said.

"Yeah" Gabriella said.

Troy kissed Gabriella's lips softly. Gabriella kissed Troy back. Troy leaned back slowly taking Gabriella with him. Gabriella pulled back and smiled. The next day, Gabriella had worked a half day at the firm and then met her mother and Taylor at a bridal boutique to try on more dresses. Gabriella tried on twenty dresses and sighed.

"I liked the last one you put on Gabi" Maria said.

"I'll try it again. I want Troy to love it" Gabriella said.

"He will, Gabi" Taylor said.

Gabriella tried on the previous dress that she had on. It was a creamy white color. It showed off Gabriella's hourglass figure. The sweetheart neckline held her in perfectly. Gabriella looked at herself in the mirror. Maria and Taylor both had tears in their eyes looking at Gabriella in the dress.

"I think this is it" Gabriella said.

"You look beautiful, Gabi" Maria said.

Gabriella smiled.

"It's perfect" Taylor said.

Gabriella changed back into her clothes and paid for the dress. A couple hours later, Gabriella walked into the house and placed her dress in her closet. She walked to Troy's office and poked her head in. Troy was on a phone meeting. Gabriella thought he looked so handsome when he was working. Troy looked up and smiled. Gabriella walked over to Troy and kissed his lips.

"I found my dress" Gabriella whispered.

Troy's eyes widened.

"Really?" Troy whispered.

Gabriella nodded.

"No peeking" Gabriella whispered.

"Okay. Let me finish up here and I will be out in a little bit" Troy said softly.

"Okay" Gabriella said kissing Troy's cheek.

Gabriella walked out of the office and closed the door behind her. An hour later, Troy went upstairs and saw Gabriella looking at a seating chart.

"So, you found your dress?" Troy asked.

"Mmhm" Gabriella said not looking up at him.

Troy started kissing Gabriella's neck. Gabriella closed her eyes.

"Troy" Gabriella said softly.

"Brie" Troy said softly.

Gabriella closed her seating chart files and put them away. She leaned in and kissed Troy's lips.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

Troy moved a stray piece of hair away from Gabriella's face.

"I love you too" Troy said.

A couple days later, Gabriella and Troy were at the Bolton home for dinner.

"Gabi, did you find a dress yet?" Lucille asked.

Gabriella smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, I found it" Gabriella said.

"Troy, did you figure out the tuxedo situation?" Jack, Troy's father asked.

"Yeah. Everyone is wearing a black tux but different colored ties. Right, babe?" Troy said.

"Yeah" Gabriella said.

"What are you guys doing for the honeymoon? Any ideas?" Lucille asked.

Troy looked at Gabriella. Gabriella looked at Troy.

"We haven't decided yet. We are still going through a lot of the details" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled softly. She placed her hand on top of Troy's.

"How's the wedding party stuff going?" Lucille asked.

"It's going well. Taylor is my maid of honor, so it is very organized" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Chad is basically taking orders from Tay" Troy said.

Gabriella giggled. The couple and the Bolton family caught up. A couple months later, Troy walked through the venue that he and Gabriella decided to get married at. Today was their wedding day. Troy and his groomsmen had all come to the venue early to drop off their tuxedos so that they could do one last bachelor activity with Troy. They were going to go to East High and take pictures where Troy and Gabriella fell in love. Troy walked into the groom's room and hung his tuxedo on the clothing rack. He sighed happily. Troy felt a hand on his shoulder and turned around.

"You ready to marry the love of your life today?" Chad asked.

"I've been ready" Troy said.

"Let's get out of here. We got to get to East High before the girls get here" Chad said.

Troy smiled and nodded. A couple miles away, Gabriella was getting ready with her bridesmaids.

"Have you talked to Troy today, Gabi?" Taylor asked.

"Yeah. He and the guys should be at the church right now taking pictures" Gabriella said.

"You ready for this?" Taylor asked hugging her best friend.

Gabriella smiled and nodded. An hour later, Troy and his groomsmen were back at the venue. Chad was helping Troy with his tie when his phone rang. Troy looked at the caller ID and smiled.

"Hi sweetheart" Troy said.

All the groomsmen yelled happily in the background. Troy waved his hands so that he could hear Gabriella on the phone.

"Hi baby" Gabriella said.

"I can't wait to see you. Last night was awful not sleeping next to you" Troy said.

Gabriella giggled.

"I can't wait to see you too. I agree. The only time we are not sleeping together anymore is never" Gabriella said.

Gabriella laughed. Troy and Gabriella decided that when Troy had to oversee the businesses that he manages Gabriella would join him.

"I love you so much, Brie" Troy said.

"I love you more. I got to finish getting ready. I'll see you at the altar, wildcat" Gabriella said.

"Bye baby. See you at the altar" Troy said.

The couple hung up.

"Let's do this thing" Troy said.

An hour later, Troy and Gabriella stood at the altar. Gabriella and Troy exchanged vows and rings.

"It is my great honor to present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Troy Bolton!" the pastor said.

Gabriella kissed Troy's lips passionately. The couple walked down the aisle hand in hand. The couple and their family and friends went to the reception and had a night that they would never forget. After the reception, Troy was in his hotel room. He had just taken a shower when there was a knock on the door. Troy walked to the door and opened it.

"Hello, Ms. Bolton" Troy said.

"Hello, Mr. Bolton" Gabriella said.

Troy kissed Gabriella's lips passionately. Gabriella pulled back slowly.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

"I love you too baby girl. So, baby making?" Troy asked awkwardly.

Gabriella laughed. She kissed Troy's lips multiple times.

"We have a plane to catch" Gabriella said kissing Troy's lips.

Troy groaned.

"When we get to the hotel" Gabriella said.

The couple drove to the airport and got on the plane. They were going to go to Colorado for a week. They were going to be staying at the ski resort that they met at. A couple hours later, Troy opened the hotel room door and brought their bags in. Gabriella was about to walk in the door.

"Wait!" Troy said.

Gabriella looked at Troy confused. Troy walked over to Gabriella and carefully lifted her up, bridal style and walked into the hotel room.

"Troy!" Gabriella said laughing.

Troy closed the door behind them with his foot. He carried Gabriella over to the bed and lied her down carefully. Troy kissed Gabriella's lips slowly, but passionately. Gabriella put her hands around Troy's neck and kissed him back. Troy opened his eyes and pulled away slowly. He looked into Gabriella's brown eyes. Gabriella nodded. Clothes were removed and the newlyweds made love into the early morning. The next morning, Troy woke up and smiled. He looked at his wife sleeping. The night before was one that he and Gabriella would never forget. The couple were not strangers to making love, but it was different now that they were married. It was freeing. Gabriella stirred and opened her eyes and looked at Troy.

"Morning" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Good morning to you, too" Troy said.

"Last night" Gabriella started.

Troy brought Gabriella's body closer to his.

"Last night was incredible" Troy finished.

Gabriella nodded.

"We-I-You" Gabriella said trying to get words out.

Troy chuckled.

"Incredible" Troy said kissing Gabriella's swollen lips softly.

Gabriella sighed happily into the kiss. Troy slowly pulled away.

"So, Ms. Bolton, what is on the agenda today?" Troy asked.

Gabriella smiled.

"I just want to lay here with you for a while" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled and kissed Gabriella's forehead.

"We've been working so much that we need to enjoy this" Gabriella said.

"I agree" Troy said.

The couple lied in bed together enjoying their new married life. A few hours and a couple lovemaking sessions later, the couple got out of bed. Troy and Gabriella went to dinner and came back to the hotel. A few days later, Gabriella and Troy were on a plane going home. Gabriella leaned her head against her husband's shoulder and tried to fall asleep. Troy put the arm rest that separated them up so that Gabriella could be closer to him. In the days that they had been in Colorado, Troy and Gabriella grew as a couple. Having already been together for eight years, they felt that they got to know each other even more in the last few days. Gabriella opened her eyes and looked at Troy. She leaned in and kissed his cheek. Troy looked at her and smiled.

"Hey sleepyhead" Troy said.

"I can't believe you are not tired after last night" Gabriella said.

Troy chuckled.

"Sleep baby. We have a couple hours to kill on this plane" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips. Gabriella snuggled into Troy's chest and fell back asleep. That night, Troy and Gabriella had arrived home. Troy had packed a bag for both him and Gabriella because they would be leaving in the morning to oversee Troy's businesses that he managed. This was the first time that Gabriella would be attending one of his work trips.

"Do we need anything else?" Gabriella asked.

"I got everything" Troy said.

"Tampons?" Gabriella asked.

Troy looked at Gabriella and turned dark red. Gabriella laughed.

"Don't worry baby. I was only joking" Gabriella said.

Troy sighed in relief. He wrapped his arms around Gabriella and kissed her lips.

"Should we bring a pregnancy test?" Troy asked.

"No. I don't want to take one in a place that is not at home" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"I agree. I am excited that you will get to meet the rest of the team tomorrow" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"As your wife" Gabriella said.

"Yeah. Not as my freaky smart and successful lawyer girlfriend known as Gabriella" Troy joked.

Gabriella giggled.

"When do we need to leave tomorrow?" Gabriella asked.

"Around eight. It takes a couple hours to get there" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Troy closed the suitcase.

"Put some tampons in there, Bolton" Gabriella said.

Troy turned red. He walked into the bathroom and brought the box of tampons that Gabriella kept in their bathroom and placed it into the suitcase.

"You enjoy torturing me way too much" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"Well, now that we are married and trying, you have to be in the know also" Gabriella said as she kissed Troy's lips.

"Chad never told me about this part" Troy said.

Gabriella giggled.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

"I love you too" Troy said.

The next morning, Troy and Gabriella were driving to one of the businesses that Troy managed in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Gabriella was sleeping with her head against the car window. Troy smiled. He loved how peaceful she looked. Twenty minutes later, Gabriella woke up.

"Hey sleepyhead" Troy said.

"How far away are we?" Gabriella asked.

"About an hour and a half. Do you want to take a rest?" Troy asked.

"Can you pull over?" Gabriella mumbled.

Troy looked at Gabriella and saw that she was a little flushed.

"Yeah, baby. Hold on" Troy said.

Troy pulled over and Gabriella got out of the car. She walked over to a bush and regurgitated the remains in her stomach. After she finished, Gabriella walked back to the car and got back in.

"You okay, sweetheart?" Troy asked.

"Yeah. Just car sick" Gabriella said.

"Maybe those pregnancy tests will come in handy" Troy said.

"We just started trying though. I don't know if it will take so quickly" Gabriella said.

"Just to check. It may be nothing. But there is no harm in trying" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Do you feel a little better?" Troy asked.

"Yeah. I think it is the car" Gabriella said.

"Maybe" Troy said.

Troy turned his truck back on and continued driving. An hour and half later, Troy and Gabriella pulled into the hotel parking lot. The couple got out of the car.

"Here, I will get the bags. You go check-in and get the keys" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy kissed Gabriella's forehead softly.

"You feel alright?" Troy asked.

"Yeah, it was nice to stop driving" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"We can take a little nap before we have to go into the office if you want" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Gabriella walked into the hotel and checked-in. She and Troy then went up to their hotel room and lied down on the bed. The couple took a short nap and then got up and drove to one of Troy's offices.

"Troy, nice to see you" Madison, the coordinator of the location said.

"Nice to see you too, Madison. This is my wife, Gabriella. Gabriella, this is Madison" Troy said.

"Nice to finally meet you, Gabriella. Congratulations on getting married" Madison said.

"It is nice to meet you too, Madison. Thank you" Gabriella said.

"We are going to go check-in with everyone and see where we are at" Troy said taking Gabriella's hand.

"Okay" Madison said.

The couple started walking away.

"She was nice" Gabriella said.

"Yeah" Troy said.

The couple walked to a closed door. Troy took his keys out of his pocket and unlocked the door. The couple walked into the room.

"You can leave your stuff here if you want, babe" Troy said.

Gabriella placed her purse down and walked out of the room. Troy locked the door behind them.

"That is your office?" Gabriella asked.

"Mmhm. It's much bigger than the one at home" Troy said.

The couple then walked to a bigger room.

"Hey guys" Troy said.

"Hey Troy" a couple of the consultants said.

"Troy, is this THE Gabriella?" Sonya, a senior consultant asked.

Troy looked at Gabriella and then looked at Sonya.

"Yes, this is Gabriella" Troy said.

"She's exactly how you described her. Hi Gabriella, I'm Sonya" Sonya said.

"Hi Sonya" Gabriella said.

"I just wanted to check in with you guys and make sure everything was going smoothly" Troy said.

"We got it under control, Troy" Nick, a senior executive said.

"Okay" Troy said.

The couple walked away.

"Wow" Gabriella said.

"What?" Troy asked taking her hand.

"I'm known as "The Gabriella" "Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"They know you as that because I would always leave to come back home to you" Troy said.

"Oh" Gabriella said.

The couple walked back to Troy's office. Troy shut the door behind them.

"I just need to do send a couple emails and we can get out of here for the day" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Troy sent a couple emails and signed paperwork that he needed to complete.

"Ready to go, baby?" Troy asked.

"Yeah" Gabriella said.

The couple left the office and walked out of the building. They got into the car. Troy looked at Gabriella.

"So, what did you think?" Troy asked.

"There are a lot of people. It's a lot different than the firm" Gabriella said.

Troy drove back to the hotel and the couple relaxed for the rest of the day.


	3. So, Tell Me About Colorado

That night, Gabriella and Troy had just come back to the hotel from dinner. Gabriella went through her suitcase and pulled out a pregnancy test and looked at it. She took a deep breath and released it. Troy was laying on the bed and watching television. Gabriella picked up the pregnancy test and brought it to Troy. She handed Troy the test. Troy looked at Gabriella.

"Do you want to take it?" Troy asked.

"You said that there was no harm in trying" Gabriella said.

"Take it and see what happens" Troy said handing the test back to his wife.

Gabriella looked at the test and then at Troy.

"See what happens" Troy repeated.

Gabriella nodded. She walked into the bathroom and took the test. A couple minutes later, Gabriella came out of the bathroom and lied down next to Troy.

"We have to wait five minutes for the results" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Troy said turning off the television.

Gabriella snuggled into Troy's chest. Troy wrapped his arms around Gabriella's waist and kissed her head.

"If it didn't take, then we just have to keep trying" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"It's not the end of the world" Troy said.

"It's just a weird feeling" Gabriella said.

Five minutes went by. Troy looked at Gabriella.

"Do you want me to check?" Troy asked.

"No, I'll do it" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded. Gabriella got off the bed and walked to the bathroom. She walked to the counter and looked at the test.

_Negative_

Gabriella took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She closed the bathroom door so that Troy would not come in. Tears ran down Gabriella's face. Twenty minutes later, there was a knock on the bathroom door.

"Brie, you okay?" Troy asked through the door.

Gabriella was now sitting against the closed bathroom door.

"I'm embarrassed" Gabriella said softly.

"Can you let me in?" Troy asked.

Gabriella took a deep breath and released it. She realized that this was not a situation that she could just handle herself. Gabriella needed Troy, now more than ever. She was used to being perfect at everything. As a student she never failed. For the first time, Gabriella felt like she failed. Troy knocked on the door again.

"Gabriella, you are scaring me. Baby, talk to me" Troy said.

Gabriella opened the door slowly. Troy looked at Gabriella's face and no words had to be exchanged.

"Sweetheart, we can try again" Troy said.

Gabriella hugged her husband. Troy put his hand on Gabriella's head and kissed her forehead softly.

"I feel like a failure" Gabriella cried against Troy's chest.

Troy pulled away and looked at Gabriella, who had tears running down her face.

"Baby, you are not a failure. These things take time" Troy said softly.

"I never fail, Troy" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled slightly.

"Sweetheart, this is not that kind of test. We just started trying. I know that it sucks but we just got to try again, that's all" Troy said.

Gabriella sniffled. Troy wiped Gabriella's tears away.

"It just feels like I failed. Tay got pregnant right after she and Chad got married" Gabriella said.

"But that's Tay. You are Gabriella. It will happen baby. Don't let the first test get to you" Troy said.

Gabriella sniffled again.

"I love you so much" Troy said.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly. The next day, Troy and Gabriella were at the office. Troy had a couple meetings that he had to be in. Gabriella was in his office with the door closed. She was deep in thought. The pregnancy test that she took the night before really upset her. Gabriella picked up her phone and dialed Taylor's number.

"Hey Gabi, how is your trip going?" Taylor asked.

"It's alright" Gabriella said.

"What happened? You don't sound happy. Did you and Troy fight?" Taylor asked.

Gabriella told Taylor what had happened the previous day.

"Gabi, it will happen. Troy's right. It's different than passing a test at school. Don't be discouraged" Taylor said.

"We had a plan and everything and I was just so ready, Tay" Gabriella said.

"I know. But, plans change. Have an open mind and don't compare, Gabi" Taylor said.

Gabriella heard keys unlocking the door. Troy opened the door and walked in. He smiled.

"I got to go, Tay. Troy just got out of his meeting" Gabriella said.

"Okay honey. Just keep an open mind" Taylor said.

"Thanks, Tay" Gabriella said.

Gabriella hung up the phone and looked at Troy.

"How's Tay?" Troy asked.

"Fine" Gabriella said.

"Did you talk to her about yesterday?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"She said the same thing as you did" Gabriella said.

"Come on, let's go home. I'm done here for the month" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

The couple drove back to the hotel and packed their suitcases and checked out. An hour later, Troy was driving back to Albuquerque.

"I didn't want to make you feel bad about yesterday" Gabriella said.

Troy looked at Gabriella and put his hand on top of hers.

"This is something new for us that we have never experienced, babe" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Don't apologize" Troy said.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He picked up her hand and kissed it.

"I love you too" Troy said.

The couple continued to drive home. Two hours later, the couple arrived home. It was eleven PM. Troy was in his office. Gabriella knocked on the closed door. He only closed the door when he was deep in thought. Gabriella put her hand on the door knob and found it unlocked. She opened it and walked in slowly. Troy looked up and smiled.

"I'm going to bed" Gabriella said.

Troy got up and ushered Gabriella out of the office. He closed the door behind them. Troy put his arm around Gabriella, and they walked upstairs. Once they got to the bedroom, Troy unbuttoned his shirt and took it off. His back was turned to Gabriella. Gabriella walked over to Troy and wrapped her arms around her husband from behind. She kissed his back and turned him so that he was looking at her. Gabriella placed her hand on Troy's cheek and leaned in and kissed him.

"Let's make a baby, Troy" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He kissed Gabriella's lips softly, but passionately. They moved to the bed. The couple made love into the early morning. Five weeks later, Gabriella had stayed home from Troy's work trip to Santa Fe. She had found out some news the previous day. Gabriella was pregnant. She had an ultrasound done and found out that she was five weeks pregnant. Gabriella had planned a way to tell Troy once he got home from Santa Fe. She had asked for an extra ultrasound picture so that she could frame it and place it on Troy's desk in his office. Gabriella heard the door unlock and Troy walked into the house.

"Brie, I'm home" Troy said.

Gabriella walked downstairs and smiled when she saw Troy.

"Hey baby" Troy said kissing her lips.

"Hi. How was your trip?" Gabriella asked.

"Good. We got a lot done. What did you do?" Troy asked placing his keys on the end table.

"Worked on a case and babysat Eli for Tay" Gabriella said.

"Oh. Where did Tay and Chad go?" Troy asked.

"They went to dinner and asked me if I wanted to babysit" Gabriella said.

"Oh. How was babysitting?" Troy asked.

"Fine. He slept for most of the time" Gabriella said.

"He's only a couple months old" Troy said.

"Yeah" Gabriella said.

Troy kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"I missed you this trip" Troy said.

"I missed you too" Gabriella said.

Troy walked into his office and sat down at his desk. He turned on the computer and waited for it to load. Troy looked at his desk and saw the ultrasound picture. He looked up at Gabriella and then looked at the ultrasound. Troy looked up at Gabriella again.

"Brie?" Troy asked.

"Yes, wildcat?" Gabriella asked smiling.

"Is that what I think it is?" Troy asked.

Gabriella walked over to Troy and wrapped her arms around him. She kissed his cheek softly.

"I'm five weeks pregnant" Gabriella said.

Troy instantly pulled Gabriella into his arms.

"I love you so much, baby" Troy said.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

Troy pulled away so that he could look at Gabriella.

"You went to the doctor without me?" Troy asked.

"I wanted to surprise you" Gabriella said.

Troy put his hand on the side of Gabriella's face and held her cheek.

"I am so happy. We need to celebrate" Troy said.

"Troy" Gabriella started.

"What?" Troy asked.

"I'm five weeks" Gabriella said.

"Okay? Help me out here" Troy said trying to figure out what she was trying to tell him.

"Miscarriages most likely happen within the first three months. Since I am five weeks-" Gabriella started.

"We need to be cautious" Troy finished.

Gabriella nodded.

"So that means we don't tell anyone until I am farther along" Gabriella said.

"Okay. When is your next appointment? I want to be there" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"Next month" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"I love you so much, Brie" Troy said.

Gabriella giggled.

"So, now that you are pregnant, can you travel? I don't want to go on these trips without you. I want to be here for everything" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled at how excited Troy was.

"I can travel. I just need to make sure that I go to my doctor's appointments" Gabriella said.

"We are going to have a baby" Troy said.

Gabriella giggled at how shocked Troy was. She leaned in and kissed Troy's lips. Troy slowly pulled back.

"How are you feeling, sweetheart?" Troy asked as he finally calmed down.

"Nauseous. Really achy. But, other than that fine. I'm really glad you are home" Gabriella said.

Troy wrapped his arms around Gabriella's waist and placed a hand on her flat stomach. Gabriella put her hand on top of his.

"Can I do anything to make you feel better?" Troy asked.

"Can you make me some tea, please? Also, a peanut butter sandwich" Gabriella said.

"You got it" Troy said kissing Gabriella's lips.

The couple walked into the kitchen. Gabriella sat down at the center island while Troy went to the refrigerator to get the ingredients for Gabriella's sandwich. He quickly made the sandwich and placed it in front of his wife. Troy then made Gabriella a cup of tea and placed it front of her. Gabriella took a sip of her tea and a bite of her sandwich.

"Thanks, baby" Gabriella said.

"No problem. When did the sickness start?" Troy asked.

"The night you left I felt a little off. I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to worry" Gabriella said.

"You knew that I would come home" Troy said.

"Exactly. I didn't want to tell you like that. Plus, at that time, I didn't really know what was happening. I took it into my own hands" Gabriella said.

"Now that you have told me, you need to let me know when you are sick and I'm not here" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. She took another bite of her sandwich and a sip of her tea.

"Once I get to twelve weeks, I can have Tay come over and check on me" Gabriella said.

"If you aren't up to going on work trips with me" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. She finished her sandwich and her tea. Troy took her plate and cup and placed them both in the dishwasher.

"Feel a little better?' Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"Thank you" Gabriella said kissing Troy's lips.

The couple left the kitchen and walked upstairs. Gabriella changed into her pajamas and Troy took his shirt off. They both got into bed.

"Wake me up if you need anything, Brie" Troy said.

"I will" Gabriella said.

The couple fell asleep. The next morning, Troy woke up to Gabriella patting him to wake up.

"What's wrong?" Troy asked.

"Nauseous" Gabriella said.

Troy got up and helped Gabriella walk to the bathroom. Gabriella kneeled in front of the toilet and immediately threw up everything that she had eaten the night before. Troy put a hand on Gabriella's back.

"It's okay baby, just relax" Troy said.

Gabriella continued to throw up. Troy rubbed her back. Once she finished. Gabriella moved away from the toilet. She looked up at Troy, who smiled. He offered her his hands and Gabriella took them and felt Troy lift her to a standing position. Gabriella walked to the sink and brushed her teeth. She then looked at Troy.

"How do you feel?" Troy asked.

"Sick" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled sympathetically.

"Don't you have to be in court in an hour?" Troy asked looking at his phone.

"Yes" Gabriella said about to run out of the door.

"Woah. Hold it. I'll drop you off if you want" Troy said.

"Okay. But we need to leave in ten minutes" Gabriella said.

"Alright" Troy said.

Ten minutes later, Gabriella and Troy were driving to the courthouse. Troy pulled into the front and looked at Gabriella.

"Let me know when you are done and I'll come get you, baby" Troy said.

"Okay. Thanks, Troy" Gabriella said kissing Troy's lips.

"I love you. Good luck" Troy said.

"Thanks. I love you too" Gabriella said.

Gabriella got out of the car and walked into the courthouse. Five hours later, Gabriella called Troy and asked him to pick her up. Troy drove to the courthouse and parked his car in front. He saw Gabriella walking down the steps of the courthouse. She looked exhausted and sick. Troy unlocked the door and Gabriella got into the car.

"How did it go?" Troy asked.

"Threw up while I was there. Otherwise, it went really well" Gabriella said.

"How do you feel now?" Troy asked.

"Better" Gabriella said.

Troy started driving home. He pulled into the driveway and parked the car. The couple got out of the car and walked into the house.

"My mom called" Troy said.

"What did she say?" Gabriella asked.

"She asked about you. I think she knows that you are pregnant" Troy said.

"How?" Gabriella asked.

"She asked about Colorado and mentioned how long it has been since we came back" Troy said.

"Well it makes sense. We got married and the next step would be to have kids" Gabriella said.

"Yeah. But, we have to keep it to ourselves for seven more weeks" Troy said.

"Yeah" Gabriella said.

"I have to make a couple of phone calls and then jump into a phone meeting. If you don't feel well, come get me, okay?" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I'm going to take a nap" Gabriella said.

Troy kissed Gabriella's lips softly. Gabriella walked upstairs and changed into a pair of sweats and a tank top and got into bed and fell asleep. Two hours later, Troy walked into the bedroom and smiled. Gabriella was sleeping peacefully. He knew that he had to wake her up so that she could sleep that night. Troy walked over to Gabriella's side of the bed and sat on the edge.

"Brie? You need to wake up, baby. You won't be able to sleep tonight" Troy said.

Gabriella stirred and moaned in her sleep. She slowly opened her eyes and looked at Troy.

"How are you feeling?" Troy asked.

"Tired" Gabriella said.

"You had a long day" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. She stretched and sat up.

"Still feeling nauseous?" Troy asked.

"Yeah. But, this is our life now" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He put his hand on Gabriella's cheek.

"What can I do?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shook her head. She placed her hand on top of Troy's on her cheek.

"Nothing. This is nature taking it's course" Gabriella said.

Troy chuckled.

"Tay called while you were sleeping" Troy said.

"What did she say?" Gabriella asked.

"She wanted to ask if we wanted to have dinner tonight" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

That night, the couple walked into the Danforth home.

"Gabriella, do you want to help me in the kitchen?" Taylor asked.

"Sure, Tay" Gabriella said.

Gabriella walked into the kitchen with Taylor.

"So, tell me about Colorado" Taylor said.

Gabriella giggled.

"It was nice, really relaxing. We needed it" Gabriella said.

Taylor started chopping meat to put onto the grill. Gabriella swallowed hard. She was starting to get nauseous. Gabriella took her phone out and texted Troy.

_So nauseous. Help me. _

A couple minutes later, Troy and Chad walked into the kitchen.

"What are we making, ladies?" Chad asked.

Troy walked over to Gabriella and saw the familiar look of nausea come over her. He put his arm around her waist. Gabriella leaned her head against Troy's shoulder. Troy kissed Gabriella's head softly. He picked up his phone and texted Gabriella.

_Better? _

Gabriella nodded against him.

"Hoops, lets start grilling" Chad said.

Troy looked at Gabriella, who nodded. He looked at her one more time. Troy left the kitchen and walked outside with Chad. An hour later, the two couples were eating. Eli, Chad and Taylor's son, was at Taylor's parents house for the night. Gabriella took a sip of her water and looked at Troy. She stood up and ran to the bathroom.

"Gabi, are you okay? Is she okay, Troy?" Taylor asked.

"She's okay, Tay. She just has been getting over a bug" Troy said.

A few minutes later, Gabriella returned to the table. Troy looked at his wife and placed his hand on her thigh.

"You okay, Gabs?" Chad asked.

"Yeah. Sorry guys" Gabriella said.

"It's okay. Troy told us that you were getting over a bug" Taylor said.

Gabriella looked at Troy and smiled gratefully for the lie that he told. Later that night, Troy opened the front door and the couple walked into the house. Gabriella had cried on the way home because she was so embarrassed that she got sick in the middle of dinner.

"Sweetheart, you okay?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"Brie, I'm sure it happens to a lot of pregnant women. When we get the okay from the doctor and you tell Tay, she will understand" Troy said.

"I just never had morning sickness like that before" Gabriella said.

"When do you go to the doctor?" Troy asked.

"Next week" Gabriella said.

"Maybe we could find out if this is what is supposed to happen" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. The couple went to bed that night hoping that Gabriella would start to feel better soon.


	4. In Sickness and in Health

Troy and Gabriella had been through a lot during the week leading up to her doctor's appointment.

_Flashback _

_Troy came home from a meeting and didn't hear Gabriella. _

"_Gabs?" Troy called. _

_There was no answer. Troy walked upstairs to the bedroom and saw that the bathroom door was closed. He mentally cursed himself. Troy walked over to the bathroom door and knocked. _

"_Brie?" Troy called. _

_There was no answer. Troy turned the doorknob and opened the door. Gabriella was sitting on the tile bathroom floor, hovering over the toilet. Troy grabbed a hair tie from the box that had now become a staple in their bathroom. He pulled Gabriella's hair back into a ponytail. Troy placed his hand on Gabriella's back. A couple minutes later, Gabriella gasped for air and started crying. _

"_Hey, hey. It's okay. I'm here" Troy said holding Gabriella in his arms. _

"_Why won't it stop?" Gabriella cried. _

"_It will, baby. Just relax" Troy said. _

_End of Flashback _

This scenario occurred three times a day for the last week. The couple was exhausted. Gabriella had her first doctor's appointment with Troy. The couple was driving to Gabriella's doctor's office.

"You nervous?" Gabriella asked.

Troy smiled and nodded. He looked at Gabriella.

"But not as nervous as you" Troy said.

Gabriella blushed. Troy put his hand on Gabriella's thigh. He pulled into the doctor's office. The couple got out of the car and walked into the office. Gabriella signed in and sat next to Troy. Troy took her hand in his and sighed. Gabriella kissed Troy's cheek softly.

"Gabriella Bolton?" a nurse called with a file in her hand.

Gabriella and Troy both stood up and followed the nurse into a room, where Gabriella's vitals were taken. They were then escorted into an exam room. The nurse handed Gabriella gown.

"Please change into this gown and Dr. A will be in with you shortly" the nurse said.

"Thank you" the couple said.

Gabriella changed out of her clothes and into the gown. She then sat down on the exam table.

"How are you feeling?" Troy asked.

"Nervous and nauseous" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled sympathetically.

"I'm sorry baby. I wish that I could help you more" Troy said.

"You are doing the best you can. I appreciate it" Gabriella said.

There was a knock on the door. A middle aged woman with dirty blonde hair and caramel highlights came into the room.

"Hi Gabriella. Hi, you must be Troy" Dr. A said.

"Hi" Troy said shaking the doctor's hand.

"How are you feeling?" Dr. A asked looking at Gabriella.

"So sick. The morning sickness is insane" Gabriella said.

"It will get better. Make sure that you keep yourself hydrated" Dr. A said.

Gabriella and Troy nodded.

"Is there anything that we can do to prevent it or at least decrease the amount of times that she does throw up?" Troy asked.

Dr. A looked at Troy and smiled.

"Just keep hydrated. Try to get a lot of sleep" Dr. A said.

Troy nodded.

"Do you want to see the baby today?" Dr. A asked.

"Yes, please" the couple said.

Gabriella lied back. Dr. A put a blanket over Gabriella's lower body and raised her gown up to her bellybutton. She then turned the ultrasound on and let it heat up. Once it was heated, Dr. A squeezed gel onto Gabriella's stomach and picked up the wand. She started moving the gel around Gabriella's stomach and looked at the monitor.

"See that circle? That's your baby" Dr. A said.

Troy and Gabriella looked at the monitor. Gabriella was the first to respond.

"It's so small" Gabriella said softly.

Troy smiled. He took Gabriella's hand in his own and kissed it softly. Gabriella looked at Troy and smiled.

"Is the baby healthy?" Troy asked.

"Yes. It is developing right on point" Dr. A said.

Troy leaned over and kissed Gabriella's head softly.

"I can print some pictures for you" Dr. A said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Dr. A left the room. Gabriella sat up and wiped the gel off her stomach.

"How do you feel, Troy?" Gabriella asked.

Troy smiled.

"I am so happy. I think seeing the baby on the monitor made it real. I want you to know that I am going to be here every step of the way, Brie" Troy said.

Gabriella's eyes started watering.

"If I have to miss a work trip, then I will miss the work trip" Troy said.

"I love you" Gabriella whispered through her tears.

"I love you too. So much" Troy said.

There was a knock on the door and Dr. A came back into the room.

"Okay, here you go. Gabriella, I just need to examine you" Dr. A said handing Troy the sonogram.

Gabriella lied back down and spread her legs apart. Troy had never been in an appointment like this and it made him anxious. Gabriella noticed how nervous and scared that Troy looked. She put her hand on his knee.

"Hey, you okay?" Gabriella asked.

"I've never been in an appointment like this. It's all new to me" Troy said looking down.

"Troy" Gabriella said softly.

Troy looked up at his wife.

"It's okay. Just hold my hand" Gabriella said.

Troy took Gabriella's hand in his. Gabriella smiled at him.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

"I love you too" Troy said.

"Gabriella, you ready?" Dr. A asked.

"Yeah" Gabriella said turning back to the doctor.

"Take a deep breath for me" Dr. A said.

Gabriella followed Dr. A's directions. Dr. A examined Gabriella and threw her gloves away a couple moments later.

"Everything looks good, Gabriella. I'll see you next month" Dr. A said.

Gabriella smiled.

"Thank you" Gabriella said.

Dr. A left the room. Gabriella sat up and looked at Troy.

"You okay baby?" Gabriella asked.

Troy nodded.

"I just got a little freaked out with the exam portion. I've never been in an appointment like this, so it was kind of uncomfortable" Troy said turning red in embarrassment.

Gabriella got off the table and changed back into her clothes. She placed the gown that she was previously wearing in the dirty gown can. Gabriella walked over to Troy and kissed him passionately.

"Let's talk about it in the car" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded. The couple left the office and got into the car.

"How are you feeling?" Gabriella asked.

"Better. I think I was in shock because it got intense. I didn't expect it to go that way" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I appreciate you telling me how you feel" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled slightly.

"I wanted to be honest" Troy said.

"So, in three weeks, if all goes well, we can tell our families" Gabriella said changing the subject.

"Okay" Troy said.

Troy started driving home. That night, Gabriella was packing her bag in the bedroom. Troy walked in.

"A couple months into our marriage and you are already leaving me?" Troy joked.

Gabriella looked at Troy and smiled.

"I'm all packed" Gabriella said speaking of Troy's work trip.

"Are you sure that you feel up to it?" Troy asked.

"If I need to throw up, we can just pull to the side" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled. Troy walked over to Gabriella and sat on the edge of the bed. Gabriella lifted the packed suitcase.

"Let me get that" Troy said taking the suitcase out of Gabriella's hands.

Troy brought Gabriella's suitcase downstairs. He then walked back upstairs.

"How are you feeling?" Troy asked.

"I feel okay. A little weird" Gabriella said.

"Weird? Like what?" Troy asked.

"I don't know if it is the baby or just the thought about getting everything ready" Gabriella said.

"Well, there are some things that we need to talk about regarding the baby" Troy said.

"Like what?" Gabriella asked.

"Like how we are going to tell our parents" Troy said.

"I think if we just tell them it will be fine, don't you think?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah" Troy said.

The couple got into bed. Gabriella looked at her flat stomach. Troy placed his hand on Gabriella's stomach. He leaned over and kissed Gabriella's cheek.

"Get some sleep, baby" Troy said.

The couple fell asleep. The next morning, Troy and Gabriella were driving to Santa Fe to check on the office. Gabriella was not in the best mood. She got sick that morning. Troy thought he was going to have to call off his meeting because Gabriella was so sick. Gabriella was leaning her head against the window.

"Brie, how do you feel sweetheart?" Troy asked.

"Like I got run over by a truck" Gabriella said.

Troy looked at Gabriella and then back at the road.

"Do you want me to pull over so that you can get some air?" Troy asked.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Troy pulled over to a rest stop. Gabriella got out of the car. She walked to a tree and threw up. Troy sighed and closed his eyes. He wished he could take the sickness that Gabriella felt away. Ten minutes later, Gabriella walked back to the car. Troy got out of the car and looked at his wife. He motioned for her to come closer. Gabriella walked closer to Troy. Troy wrapped his arms around Gabriella and kissed her head.

"You okay?" Troy asked.

"I'm sorry that I'm in a bad mood" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"You don't feel good, baby. If I was throwing up three times a day, I would not be in a good mood either" Troy said.

Gabriella sighed.

"Do you feel a little better now that you have a little fresh air?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded against Troy.

"Do you want to stay here for a couple more minutes or do you want to start driving again?" Troy asked.

"Get back in the car" Gabriella said.

"Alright" Troy said.

The couple got back into the car and started driving again. An hour into the drive, Troy looked over at Gabriella, who was asleep. Troy smiled. This allowed Troy to think about his future, Gabriella's future, and their future as a family. Troy had been thinking a lot about how he was going to make his oversight trips work when the baby comes. Would he leave Gabriella and the baby at home? Would they come with him? There were a lot of thoughts in his head that he didn't want to talk to Gabriella about because she was already stressed out enough. Two hours later, Troy pulled into the hotel parking lot. He parked his car and looked at Gabriella.

"Brie, baby. Time to wake up" Troy said softly.

He placed his hand on Gabriella's thigh and felt her stir. Gabriella opened her eyes slowly and looked around.

"We are here" Gabriella mumbled.

"Yeah. Come on" Troy said.

Troy and Gabriella got out of the truck. Troy got the suitcase. The couple checked-in and went up to their room. Gabriella opened the door and the couple walked in. Gabriella walked over to the bed and lied down. Troy smiled. He walked over and kneeled in front of her.

"How are you feeling?" Troy asked moving the hair that was covering his wife's face.

"Tired" Gabriella said.

"No more nausea?" Troy asked.

Gabriella opened her eyes and looked at him.

"Don't bring it up or it will come with vengeance" Gabriella said.

Troy chuckled.

"I love you" Troy said.

"I love you too. Thank you for taking care of me, especially when we go on these trips and I'm miserable" Gabriella said tearfully.

Troy smiled sympathetically. He kissed Gabriella's forehead.

"I'll always take care of you, baby. Hopefully the morning sickness will pass soon. I'm sorry you feel so sick. I wish I could take that feeling away" Troy said smoothing Gabriella's hair back.

Gabriella leaned in and kissed Troy's lips softly. Troy smiled.

"What do you want to do? Do you want to rest today or do office stuff?" Troy asked.

"Rest" Gabriella said softly.

"Okay" Troy said.

The couple took a nap. A couple hours later, Troy woke up and didn't see Gabriella. He got up quickly and walked to the bathroom. Gabriella opened the door and walked out in a towel. Troy sighed in relief.

"You scared me, Brie. How are you feeling?" Troy asked.

"A lot better. Is it too late to go into the office?" Gabriella asked.

Troy smiled.

"Don't worry about the office today" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

"You hungry?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"What do you feel like eating? Anything in particular?" Troy asked.

Gabriella thought for a minute then looked at Troy.

"A burger and fries" Gabriella said licking her lips.

Troy chuckled.

"Okay, let's go" Troy said.

Gabriella got dressed and the couple left the hotel. The couple got into the car and started driving. Troy pulled into a burger and fries' restaurant in town. He went into the drive-thru and looked at Gabriella.

"What would you like?" Troy asked.

"That one" Gabriella said pointing to an item on the menu.

"Okay" Troy said.

Troy ordered Gabriella's burger and one for himself. He paid and was given the take-out bag. Troy handed the bag to Gabriella. He then drove back to the hotel. The couple got out of the car and went to their room. Once in their hotel room, Troy opened the take-out bag and handed Gabriella her burger and fries. He then took his meal out. The couple sat down at the table that was in the room. Gabriella took a bite of her burger and moaned. Troy smiled and chuckled.

"That good, huh?" Troy joked.

Gabriella smiled.

"Best burger ever" Gabriella said.

The couple ate their food. After dinner, Troy looked at Gabriella.

"First craving" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"I'm sure there will be a lot of those in our future" Troy said.

"Thank you, baby" Gabriella said kissing Troy's lips.

"No problem" Troy said.

The next day, Gabriella woke up early and did her morning sickness routine. She then took a shower. Twenty minutes later, Gabriella came out of the bathroom and walked into the room and smiled. Troy was sitting up in bed.

"Hey early bird" Troy said.

Gabriella giggled.

"You are up early. Did you get sick?" Troy asked.

"Yeah. But, I took a shower after and feel a lot better" Gabriella said.

"Good. Do you want to go into the office with me?" Troy asked.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

The couple left the hotel and drove to Troy's office. Troy parked his car and the couple walked into the office.

"Hi Troy, Gabriella" Madison said.

"Hey Madison" Troy said.

"Hi Madison" Gabriella said.

Troy and Gabriella walked deeper into the office. They walked to Troy's office. Troy took his keys out and unlocked the door. The couple walked into the office and shut the door behind them.

"Do you have meetings today?" Gabriella asked.

"Just one and then we can go home" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Troy sat down at his desk and sent a couple emails. He then looked at Gabriella, who was trying to get comfortable on the couch. Troy got up and took an extra pillow from his seat.

"Here baby. This might help" Troy said handing his wife the pillow.

"Thanks" Gabriella said taking the pillow and placing it behind her.

"Better?" Troy asked.

"Yeah. It's starting to feel weird to move around" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"I have to go to my meeting. Are you going to be okay?" Troy asked.

"Yeah" Gabriella said.

"Okay. I'll be back soon" Troy said kissing Gabriella's lips.

Troy left the office and closed the door behind him. An hour and a half later, Troy opened the office door and smiled. Gabriella was sleeping. He walked over to his desk and sat down. Troy knew that Gabriella needed sleep. He worked on some contracts and marketing assignments that needed to be done so that Gabriella could have a proper nap and not have to be woken up. An hour and a half later, Gabriella stirred and sat up slowly. She looked around the office and her eyes met Troy's.

"Hey sleepyhead" Troy said.

"How long have you been back?" Gabriella asked.

"An hour and a half. But when I got here you were asleep and I didn't want to wake you up" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. She wiped her eyes and stood up.

"You ready to go home?" Troy asked.

"Yeah" Gabriella said placing her hand on her flat stomach.

"Okay, let's get out of here" Troy said getting up from his desk and taking Gabriella's hand.

The couple said goodbye to Madison and left the office. They then drove back to the hotel and packed their suitcase and checked-out of the hotel. The couple got into the car and started driving home.


	5. We Have A Big Announcement To Make

Three weeks later, Gabriella came home from her office after working for five hours on her case.

"Troy?" Gabriella called.

Troy walked to the entry way a couple moments later.

"Hey, how did it go?" Troy asked kissing her cheek.

"I'm exhausted" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Do you want to take a nap before we go to my parents house?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"Alright" Troy said.

An hour and a half later, Troy walked into the bedroom and saw Gabriella getting ready to go to Troy's parents house for dinner.

"You ready for this?" Troy asked.

"Yeah. It was hard to keep the baby a secret for so long" Gabriella said.

"Do you want to still go over to Tay and Chad's after and tell them?" Troy asked.

"Yeah" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Troy said.

In three weeks, Troy had observed small changes in Gabriella's body. Her body was starting to become a little fuller. She had a bigger appetite than she used to. Gabriella also started hating foods that she usually loved. The couple left the house and drove to the Bolton home. They got out of the car and rang the doorbell. Lucille answered the door and smiled.

"Hi guys, come in" Lucille said.

The couple hugged Lucille and walked into the house.

"Do you guys want anything to drink? Dinner is almost ready" Lucille said.

Troy looked at Gabriella.

"Water, please" Gabriella said.

"I'll get it" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"So, Gabriella how is your case that you have been working on?" Lucille asked.

"Oh it's just starting to pick up. There were a lot of setbacks" Gabriella said.

Troy came back with two glasses of water. Gabriella looked at Troy and smiled gratefully.

"Where's dad?" Troy asked.

"He's out back. He is strategizing for the big game coming up" Lucille said.

"Oh" Troy said.

"Dinner is ready. I'll go get your dad" Lucille said.

Lucille left the room and went to get Jack. Troy looked at Gabriella. Gabriella took Troy's hand and squeezed it. Troy leaned over and kissed Gabriella's lips softly. Jack and Lucille came into the kitchen.

"Hey guys" Jack said.

"Hey dad" Troy said hugging his father.

"Hey dad" Gabriella said hugging her father-in-law.

"Let's eat" Lucille said.

The two couples sat down at the table and started eating. Troy looked at Gabriella, who was eating slowly. Gabriella smiled at Troy and nodded.

"So, we have an announcement to make" Troy said looking at his parents.

Jack and Lucille looked at the couple. Troy looked at Gabriella.

"I'm twelve weeks pregnant" Gabriella said.

Lucille started to cry and got up and hugged Gabriella. Jack shook Troy's hand and hugged him.

"I knew it! How are you feeling, honey?" Lucille asked.

"Morning sickness is killing me. But, other than that, I am doing okay" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Troy's been taking care of you?" Jack asked.

"Always. I started going on his work trips with him just so he can keep an eye on me. I also didn't want to be home alone. I found out when I was five weeks, but we had to wait until I was in the clear to tell anyone" Gabriella said.

"Wow! I am so happy for you two" Lucille said.

The two couples finished dinner. After talking for a while and promising to keep in touch regarding the baby, the couple left the Bolton home. They got into the car.

"Well, that went well" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"You still feel like going to Tay and Chad's?" Troy asked.

"Yeah" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Troy said.

Troy drove to Chad and Taylor's house and parked the car. The couple walked to the front door and rang the doorbell. Chad answered the door.

"Hoops, Gabi! What's going on?" Chad asked shaking Troy's hand.

"We need to talk to you and Tay" Troy said.

"Okay. I think she is giving Eli a bottle" Chad said.

The couple and Chad walked into the house.

"Tay, Troy and Gabi are here" Chad said.

Tay came into the living room with Eli in her arms, holding a bottle to his mouth.

"Hey guys" Taylor said.

"Hey Tay" the couple said.

"We have to tell you guys something" Gabriella said.

"What's up?" Chad asked sitting down on the couch with Tay.

"I'm twelve weeks pregnant" Gabriella said.

"Ah! I knew it! I knew when you came over for dinner a couple weeks ago that something was going on" Taylor said.

"I still feel bad about that. I'm sorry that I ran off to the bathroom like that, Tay" Gabriella said.

"Gabriella, you are pregnant. I get it. You were waiting until you got the all-clear from your doctor" Taylor said.

Gabriella sighed in relief. She looked at Troy and smiled. The two couples talked for a while. Troy and Gabriella left the house an hour later. They got into the car.

"Tomorrow we need to tell my mom" Gabriella said.

"How do you think she is going to take it?" Troy asked.

"I think she will be happy. But, like our wedding, it's emotional" Gabriella said.

Troy started driving.

"You know that you can talk to me about that stuff, right?" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Tears fell from Gabriella's eyes. Troy looked at Gabriella and took her hand in his.

"It's just like when we got married. I just realized that this is another thing that he won't be there for" Gabriella said.

Troy lifted Gabriella's hand to his lips and kissed it.

"I love you" Troy said.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

Troy drove home and parked his car in the driveway. The couple got out of the car and walked to the front door. Gabriella unlocked the door and the couple walked into the house.

"Brie?" Troy called as he closed the front door and locked it.

Gabriella looked at her husband. Troy opened his arms. Gabriella walked into them and wrapped her arms around him. Troy rubbed her back soothingly. He kissed Gabriella's forehead softly. Troy pulled back and looked at Gabriella. He placed a hand on Gabriella's stomach.

"You're growing" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"I thought you noticed it" Gabriella said.

"I noticed it a little bit from a distance, but I just thought because of all the morning sickness you were wearing blouses and baggy shirts to be comfortable" Troy said.

Gabriella kissed Troy's cheek softly.

"Come on, let's get you to bed" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. The couple went upstairs and got ready for bed. Gabriella got into bed and looked at Troy, who was already in bed. Troy leaned over and kissed Gabriella's lips passionately and pulled away. He lied down so that he was looking at Gabriella and placed his hand on her stomach.

"Crazy, huh?" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"I can't believe there is a baby in there" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"Yeah. I'm glad that after tomorrow we don't have to hide it anymore" Gabriella said.

"When is your next doctor's appointment with Dr. A?" Troy asked.

"Next Tuesday" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Troy said.

The next day, Troy woke up early. He turned over and smiled when he saw Gabriella still sleeping. Troy looked at the clock on Gabriella's bedside table, which read eight fifteen. He leaned over and kissed Gabriella's cheek and got out of bed. Troy walked downstairs and made a cup of tea for Gabriella and a cup of coffee for himself. He brought both cups upstairs to the bedroom. Troy placed Gabriella's tea on her bedside table. He then went to his side and got back into bed. He took a sip of his coffee and set it down. Gabriella stirred and moaned in her sleep. She opened her eyes and sat up.

"Brie, you okay?" Troy asked.

Gabriella put her hand to her mouth and walked quickly to the bathroom. Troy set his coffee down and followed her. Gabriella kneeled in front of the toilet and regurgitated the remains in her stomach. Troy rubbed her back soothingly. A couple minutes later, Gabriella gasped for air and started crying. She turned away from the porcelain bowl and moved into Troy's arms and cried. Troy wrapped his arms around his wife and kissed her head. He flushed the toilet and put the lid down.

"I'm here, baby. You are okay" Troy said.

"Why won't it stop or at least just give me a break?" Gabriella cried.

"It will soon" Troy said.

The couple stayed in that position for twenty minutes. Gabriella was then silent in Troy's arms.

"Come on, let's get you cleaned up okay?" Troy said softly.

Gabriella sniffled. Troy gently helped Gabriella stand up. He grabbed a clean washcloth and wet it with cool water and wrung it out. Troy then started to wipe Gabriella's face gently with it. He threw the washcloth into the hamper. Troy then handed Gabriella her toothbrush and toothpaste. With one arm still around Troy, Gabriella brushed her teeth and rinsed her mouth. She then wrapped her arms around Troy again. Troy carefully lifted Gabriella into his arms and brought her into the bedroom. He tucked her into bed and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"I made you some tea" Troy said handing Gabriella the mug that was on her bedside table.

Gabriella was shaking. She sipped the warm liquid and closed her eyes. A tear ran down her face and Troy quickly wiped it away.

"Better?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded. She searched for Troy's hand. Troy took his wife's hand in his warm one.

"Are you working from home today?" Gabriella asked quietly.

"Yeah. Are you not going in today?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shook her head.

"I have a lot of paperwork for my court dates to get done but I will do them from home" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Troy said.

A couple hours later, Troy went upstairs to check on Gabriella. He hoped that she was feeling better than earlier that morning. Troy walked into the bedroom and smiled. Gabriella was doing work on her laptop.

"Hey gorgeous, how are you feeling?" Troy asked.

Gabriella looked at Troy.

"I don't feel that way" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He walked over to the bed and sat on the edge.

"You are beautiful to me whether you look like you are going to the Oscars or you smell like throw up" Troy said.

Gabriella's eyes filled with tears as she giggled.

"I love you Troy" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled and wiped her tears away.

"I love you too" Troy said.

"Stupid hormones" Gabriella said.

Troy chuckled.

"I like the hormones on you. I think it's cute" Troy said.

"So, can we tell my mom today?" Gabriella asked changing the subject.

"Maybe tonight. But for right now, you need to rest" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips. He pulled back the covers and leaned down and kissed Gabriella's small bump.

"I'll be in my office if you need me, okay?" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Troy put the covers back in their original place. Gabriella lied down as Troy left the room. She then fell asleep. Two and a half hours later, Gabriella woke up from her nap. She got out of bed and felt a lot better than she had this morning. Gabriella walked downstairs and went to Troy's office and saw the door open. She walked in and sat down on the couch. Troy looked over at Gabriella and smiled.

"How was your nap, sweetheart?" Troy asked.

"I feel a lot better" Gabriella said.

"Good. No more throw up?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shook her head.

"Good. When do you want to go to your mom's?" Troy asked.

"I'll ask her and see what she is doing" Gabriella said picking up her phone and texting her mother.

A couple minutes later, Gabriella's phone vibrated.

"She's free for dinner she said" Gabriella said.

"Okay, so are we going to go over there or is she coming here?" Troy asked.

Gabriella texted her mother back. A couple minutes later, she got a new message.

"She said she's coming here" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Troy said.

That night, Maria Montez came over for dinner. Gabriella was making an Italian chicken dish. Troy walked into the kitchen.

"It smells so good in here. Do you need help, baby?" Troy asked.

"No. I'm done" Gabriella said putting food on three plates.

Troy took two of the plates and set them at the table. Gabriella brought the third. The couple and Maria started eating.

"Mom we have something to tell you" Gabriella said.

"What's going on?" Maria asked.

"I'm twelve weeks pregnant" Gabriella said.

Maria smiled and tears ran down her cheeks.

"Oh, I'm so happy for you. How are you feeling?" Maria asked.

"Horrible. Morning sickness is killing me" Gabriella said.

"Your dad would be so happy" Maria said.

Gabriella smiled and then started to cry.

"Baby" Troy said softly.

Troy put his hand on Gabriella's back and rubbed it soothingly. A couple minutes later, Gabriella pulled herself together.

"Sorry. It's the hormones. Daddy just makes me really emotional" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"He would have been so happy for you, Gabi. So, do you know the sex of the baby yet?" Maria asked.

Gabriella shook her head.

"Not yet. We have my three-month appointment on Tuesday" Gabriella said.

"That's exciting" Maria said.

The couple and Maria ate together and talked a little longer. Later that night, Gabriella went into Troy's office after taking a shower. Troy looked at Gabriella and smiled.

"You look relieved" Troy said.

"Yeah. I'm just glad that we don't have to live in secret anymore" Gabriella said sitting down on the couch.

"Me too. Your mom brought up a good point" Troy said.

"What's that?" Gabriella asked.

"Do you want to find out the sex of the baby?" Troy asked.

"I want to because it will be easier to figure out a name and everything. But, at the same time, I want it to be a surprise" Gabriella said.

"I like the surprise idea" Troy said.

"So, you would want to wait?" Gabriella asked.

"If that is what you want. This isn't just my decision. It's yours too" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I think It would be fun if it was a surprise" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Troy said.

A couple days later, it was Tuesday. Gabriella and Troy had walked out of Dr. A's office. They got into the car. Troy looked at Gabriella.

"Both of you are healthy and that's all that matters" Troy said.

"Yeah" Gabriella said looking at the sonogram.

"Where to, Ms. Bolton?" Troy asked.

"Home" Gabriella said.

"Home it is" Troy said.

Troy drove home. The couple walked into the house. Gabriella immediately called Taylor and told her what the doctor had told her. She then walked into Troy's office. Gabriella walked over to Troy and wrapped her arms around her husband and kissed his cheek.

"What did Tay say?" Troy asked.

"She's glad that everything went well" Gabriella said.

Troy offered Gabriella his lap. Gabriella carefully sat down and leaned her head against Troy's. Troy placed his hand on Gabriella's growing bump.

"Do you want to go on this work trip with me?" Troy asked.

"I do, but at the same time, I don't want to bother you with all my sickness" Gabriella said.

Troy looked at Gabriella.

"You would never bother me" Troy said.

"I just feel like you need to concentrate on your work over there. I don't want to get in the way" Gabriella said.

"So, you don't want to go?" Troy clarified.

Gabriella shook her head.

"Now that Tay and Chad both know, I will have them here if anything goes wrong. I don't think anything will, but just as a precaution" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"I want you, Chad, or Tay to call me if you need me" Troy said.

"I know. Are you worried?" Gabriella asked.

"No, but in the event that something happened, I want to have a plan" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. She wrapped her arms around Troy's shoulders. Troy wrapped his arms around Gabriella's back.

"You okay?" Troy asked.

"Yeah. I am going to miss you" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He kissed Gabriella's shoulder.

"I am going to miss you too, baby. But it is two days. It will be quick" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. The next day, Troy brought his suitcase downstairs. Chad and Taylor were at the house hanging out with Gabriella. Troy walked into the kitchen.

"You heading out, hoops?" Chad asked.

"Yeah" Troy said.

Chad and Taylor said goodbye to Troy. Troy looked at Gabriella and smiled. Gabriella walked over to Troy and wrapped her arms around him. Tears ran down Gabriella's face. Troy felt her start crying.

"Two days, baby. I'll be back before you know it" Troy said.

"I love you" Gabriella whispered so only Troy could hear.

"I love you too. If you need me, you can always call" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded against her husband. She sniffled and pulled away.

"We'll take good care of her, Troy" Chad said.

"Thanks guys" Troy said.

Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips passionately. Gabriella slowly pulled away. Troy left the house.


	6. These Are My Confessions

Taylor and Chad made sure that Gabriella had everything she needed before leaving the Bolton home. As soon as Gabriella closed the front door, she dialed Troy's number and waited for him to answer.

"Hi baby" Troy said answering the phone.

"Hi" Gabriella said.

"What are you doing?" Troy asked.

"Nothing. Tay and Chad just left. Chad made me promise to call him if anything happened" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled to himself as he drove.

"Good. How are you feeling?" Troy asked.

"Fine. Just emotional" Gabriella said.

"Time will go by fast. I put Dr. A's number on the fridge if you needed it" Troy said.

"I saw it. Thanks" Gabriella said.

"So, what are you going to do while you have the whole house to yourself?" Troy asked trying to cheer Gabriella up.

"Sleep, throw up, sleep" Gabriella said.

"Ha ha. Very funny" Troy said sarcastically.

"I don't know. Probably start trying to figure out where to put the baby" Gabriella said.

"What do you mean?" Troy asked.

"Like are we going to have the baby in our room or are we going to create a room for him?" Gabriella said.

"Him?" Troy asked.

"I can't stand calling the baby "it" anymore. A month is a long time too so that is what I am going with" Gabriella said.

"So, you think the baby is a boy?" Troy asked.

"I don't know. It's a guess. It could be a three-headed dog for all we know by the sickness that I get" Gabriella said.

Troy laughed.

"Three-headed dog, Gabriella?" Troy asked incredulously.

"You've witnessed the morning sickness. I don't think that is normal" Gabriella said.

Troy chuckled.

"I love you so much, baby" Troy said.

"I love you too. But seriously, if a three-headed dog comes out of me, then we know the truth to my morning sickness" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"It will get better" Troy said.

"Hopefully" Gabriella said.

The couple talked on the phone until Troy got to La Cruces. The next day, Taylor came over to keep Gabriella company.

"The morning sickness is killing me, Tay" Gabriella said.

"It will go away soon, Gabi. Have you had any mood swings yet?" Taylor asked.

"Kind of. But not anything huge. Troy said they were cute" Gabriella said.

Taylor giggled.

"Are you guys going to find out what you are having?" Taylor asked.

"We are going to wait until it's born" Gabriella said.

"The best surprise" Taylor said.

Gabriella nodded. She placed her hand on her expanding bump. In the short time that Troy was gone, Gabriella's bump grew. That night, Gabriella was lying in bed. Her phone started ringing and saw that Troy was trying to FaceTime her. Gabriella answered the call and saw Troy's face come onto the screen.

"There's my girl" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"What did you do today?" Troy asked.

"Tay came over for a little while" Gabriella said.

"Oh. What did you guys do?" Troy asked.

"Gossiped about our two lunkhead basketball player husbands" Gabriella joked.

"Hey, that's not funny" Troy said feigning hurt.

"It's only because I miss you so much" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"I miss you too, sweetheart. So much. I wish you were here" Troy said.

"Me too. Hey, look at this" Gabriella said holding the phone up.

"What am I looking at?" Troy asked.

"The bump grew in twenty-four hours" Gabriella said.

"You look so beautiful" Troy said.

"Even though I am bigger than I usually am?" Gabriella asked bringing the phone back down so she could look at her husband.

Troy smiled.

"Even then. You are the most beautiful woman in the world" Troy said softly.

Gabriella's eyes filled with tears.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

"I love you. Plus, as you get bigger, doesn't that mean you are working twice as hard to keep the baby safe in there?" Troy asked

Gabriella nodded.

"So, that's beautiful Gabriella" Troy said.

"Are you just saying that to make me feel better?" Gabriella asked.

Troy shook his head.

"I would never lie to you about something like that. Especially now" Troy said truthfully.

I wish tomorrow could come faster" Gabriella said.

Troy chuckled.

"You are the only one that I want to take care of me. I don't believe anything that Chad or Taylor says" Gabriella said.

"Maybe you could learn a thing or two from them. They do have Eli" Troy said.

"But, they aren't you. You are my home" Gabriella said.

"You are my home too, baby girl. I love you and miss you so much" Troy said.

Gabriella yawned.

"Looks like someone is sleepy" Troy said.

"I'm not. I just yawned. I want to keep talking to you" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"I think you need to get some sleep. I will talk to you tomorrow. Call me if you need anything baby" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

"I love you" Troy said.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

Troy kissed the screen and Gabriella smiled. The couple hung up. Gabriella fell asleep with a smile on her face that night. She knew that she was lucky to have Troy but everyday of her pregnancy he has gone above and beyond and she felt so blessed to have married him. The next morning, Gabriella woke up and took a deep breath and released it. Her eyes widened.

"Oh thank god" Gabriella said in response to her not having any nausea.

Gabriella grabbed her phone and texted Troy.

_Okay our baby is not a three-headed dog anymore. No morning sickness today. _

A couple moments later, Gabriella's phone buzzed, and she saw a text message from Troy.

_I think you jinxed it. Lol. I'm glad that you are feeling better, baby. See you soon_

Gabriella smiled. She got out of bed and walked downstairs and made herself breakfast. A couple hours later, Gabriella's phone rang.

"Hi baby, where are you?" Gabriella answered the phone.

"Almost home. Did you un-jinx yourself?" Troy asked.

"Troy, it's gone. I have never been so relieved" Gabriella said incredulously.

Troy laughed.

"Good. I'm glad. What are you doing?" Troy asked.

"I just ate" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Troy said.

"I'm going to take a shower" Gabriella said.

"Alright. I'll see you in a little bit" Troy said.

The couple hung up the phone. Gabriella walked as fast as she could go up the stairs. She went into the bathroom and took a shower. An hour later, Troy opened the front door.

"Brie?" Troy called.

Gabriella came out of the bedroom and stood at the top of the stairs and looked down. Troy looked at the stairs and smiled. Gabriella walked down the steps as fast as she could and ran into Troy's arms.

"I am so glad you are home" Gabriella said kissing Troy's lips.

"I am too" Troy said kissing her lips.

The couple walked into the living room and sat down on the couch.

"Did Chad and Tay come over this morning?" Troy asked.

"Chad did. He almost called you because I was so emotional about you coming home" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"It's going to get harder and harder to leave each month for these trips" Troy said.

"Can't you take a break from them and send Blake or someone?" Gabriella asked.

"For the time being, I guess that can work" Troy said.

"Not to sound like a crazy hormonal pregnant woman" Gabriella said.

Troy kissed Gabriella's lips sweetly.

"You'll never sound like that. I know that between going on these trips with me, being uncomfortable in the car for hours, getting sick all hours of the day, leaving you here by yourself, and the bump growing it's been hard on you" Troy said.

Troy moved a stray hair away from Gabriella's face.

"You haven't complained once either" Troy added.

Gabriella smiled slightly.

"It's been hard" Gabriella said truthfully.

Troy nodded.

"I know. But, now I'll be here for everything" Troy said.

Gabriella leaned in and wrapped her arms around Troy. Troy kissed Gabriella's head softly.

"I want to see this bump though" Troy said placing his hand on Gabriella's expanding stomach.

"It grew so much" Gabriella said.

Troy leaned down and kissed Gabriella's stomach. Gabriella lifted her shirt up a little so that Troy could see her growing bump.

"Wow! It did grow a lot" Troy said brushing his hand over Gabriella's stomach.

"My back is starting to hurt too" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled sympathetically.

"You are carrying more weight" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. A couple days later, Troy had told the different branches of his company that he would not be meeting with them in-person for the next several months. Gabriella walked into Troy's office and saw Troy on the phone. He looked at Gabriella and smiled. Troy held up a finger signaling that he wanted Gabriella to wait for him. Gabriella sat down and placed her hand on her bump and rubbed it gently. Troy wrapped up his phone call and looked at Gabriella.

"What's up, sweetheart?" Troy asked.

Gabriella reached over onto Troy's desk and took his hand in hers.

"When will you be done in here today?" Gabriella asked.

Troy smiled. He stood up and motioned for Gabriella to follow him. They walked over to the couch that was in the office and sat down. Gabriella leaned her head on Troy's shoulder. Troy brought Gabriella's legs onto his lap. He gently started to massage her aching back.

"That better?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded. Troy smiled. Since Troy had been staying home more often, Gabriella would try to stay close to him whenever there was an opportunity. Troy knew it was because he had been leaving so often to go on his work trips and Gabriella felt that one day he would disappear and leave her for one. Troy kissed Gabriella's forehead.

"You know that I'll always be here, right?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"It's just the emotions that go with you leaving all the time" Gabriella said.

"If we had known-" Troy started.

"It's not your fault, Troy. I am not blaming you. We couldn't have predicted the time commitment that this job would have or how often you would have to go to these places when you started this" Gabriella said.

Troy put his head on top of Gabriella's and kissed it softly.

"When is your next appointment with Dr. A?" Troy asked.

"Tomorrow" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Troy said.

Gabriella wrapped her arms around Troy. Troy felt something wet hit his shoulder.

"Sweetheart, do you want to talk about it?" Troy asked knowing something was on her mind.

"I don't know why I am so emotional. I should just deal with it alone" Gabriella cried as she started to get off Troy.

Gabriella stood up and walked upstairs. Troy debated on whether he should follow Gabriella or leave her to relax for a little while, alone. He picked up his phone and dialed Chad's number.

"I need your advice as a father and a husband, Chad" Troy said.

Forty-five minutes later and after talking to Chad, Troy walked upstairs. He walked to the bedroom and saw the door closed. Troy walked over to the bedroom door and knocked.

"Brie, sweetheart, let me in" Troy said softly.

Silence. This was the biggest mood swing that Gabriella has had thus far. Troy put his hand on the doorknob and found it unlocked. He walked into the room slowly. Troy saw Gabriella lying on their bed, buried in blankets. He walked over to the bed and sat on the edge. Troy put his hand on Gabriella's hip.

"Honey, talk to me" Troy said.

Gabriella looked at Troy with tears running down her cheeks.

"I don't want to deal with it" Gabriella said softly.

"Deal with what, baby?" Troy asked softly.

"Emotions. I just don't want to constantly be dealing with them" Gabriella said.

"Sweetheart, you are pregnant. Your hormones are probably out of whack. I want to help, baby" Troy said.

Gabriella shook her head. Troy looked down and then looked up at his wife.

"When you want to, you know that I am here if you need to talk" Troy said kissing Gabriella's head.

Troy walked downstairs and went back into his office. Two hours later, Gabriella walked downstairs and into the office. Troy looked up.

"I'm scared of everything" Gabriella said.

"What's everything?" Troy asked.

"I don't know how to be a mother" Gabriella said

"Brie, no one knows at first. At least, that is how I see it. I may be wrong. I'm sure Tay or Kelsi didn't know a lot when they had their babies. We will learn together" Troy said.

"I am scared of giving birth" Gabriella said.

"I think that's natural. I would be too" Troy said.

Troy got up from his desk and walked to the couch.

"This baby is coming soon, whether we are ready or not" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I know that I'm not the best at showing emotions or giving advice. Especially about this kind of stuff, but I want to learn how I can help" Troy said.

Gabriella walked to the couch and sat next to Troy. She took Troy's hand in his and played with his wedding ring.

"Let's start with trying to let each other in, okay? No boundaries. Just you and me" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Come here" Troy said.

Gabriella moved closer to Troy. He leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips. Gabriella pulled away slowly and let her and Troy's nose touch. Troy put his free hand on Gabriella's cheek.

"I love you so much. You need to let me in" Troy said.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

A couple weeks later, Gabriella was five months pregnant. She and Troy had been doing really well with communicating with each other. Gabriella had her five month appointment with Dr. A, who said that the baby was healthy and growing. One day, Troy was in the backyard shooting hoops. He heard the gate open and saw Chad walk over to the basketball hoop with Eli's car seat.

"I heard that someone might need some baby love" Chad said.

Troy smiled. He put the basketball that he was holding down. Chad unbuckled Eli from his car seat and lifted him out of it.

"You ready?" Chad asked.

"Yeah" Troy said.

Chad carefully placed his son into his best friend's arms.

"Remember to support his head" Chad said adjusting Troy's arm.

Troy looked down and smiled.

"Hi Eli, I'm your Uncle Troy" Troy said.

Chad smiled.

"How's Gabi doing?" Chad asked.

Troy nodded.

"She's okay. The baby is okay" Troy said.

"Tay told me that she talked to Gabi and she said that there was a lot of stuff that was going on" Chad said.

"Just first-time parent stuff" Troy said.

"If you need someone to talk to about that, hoops, I'm here" Chad said.

Troy smiled slightly.

"Thanks man. I appreciate it. It's just a process that is unfamiliar. Don't tell Tay or Gabs but I'm scared, dude" Troy said looking down at his nephew.

"Scared of what?" Chad asked.

"Failing Brie or failing as a parent" Troy said.

"How would you fail Gabriella? That girl loves you more than life" Chad said.

"I'm a guy. I want to help her go through everything. But, there are things that I don't know how to do" Troy said.

"Like what?" Chad asked.

"Be the strong one in this. She was so sick, Chad" Troy said.

"Who helped her through the morning sickness?" Chad asked.

Troy shook his head. Chad took Eli out of Troy's arms and put him in his car seat.

"I know the answer to that question. You. You are everything to her, Troy. Tay and I had a similar thing happen when she was pregnant with Eli. You must realize Troy that Gabs has a lot going on. But, even when she was sick and going through the motions, you were there. If I know Gabi as well as I do, she appreciates everything you have done to make her feel comfortable" Chad said.

Troy swallowed hard.

"Thanks man" Troy said.

Chad smiled.

"That's what brothers are for. You are going to be a great dad, Troy. You just have to believe it. You have proven that you are a great husband time and time again" Chad said.

Troy nodded. Troy and Chad talked for a little longer. Troy walked into the house and smiled when he saw Gabriella resting a pint of ice cream on top of her expanding bump and putting a spoonful of ice cream into her mouth.

"I want some" Troy said walking into the living room and sitting down on the couch next to his wife.

Gabriella dipped her spoon into the ice cream container and held it up to Troy's mouth. Troy opened his mouth and took a bite of the ice cream.

"Mm" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"What were you and Chad doing out there for so long?" Gabriella asked.

"Talking. He asked about you" Troy said.

"Oh" Gabriella said taking another spoonful of ice cream and placing it into her mouth.

"I love you so much, Brie. You know that right?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"I do and I love you too, Troy. I also appreciate everything that you have done for me" Gabriella said.

Troy had a déjà vu moment. He had just talked to Chad about this very thing. Did she hear their conversation?

"We are in this together" Troy said picking up Gabriella's free hand and kissing it.

That night, Gabriella took a bath to soothe her aching back and her new swollen feet. After she got out and changed into her pajamas, Gabriella walked into Troy's office. Troy was on the computer. Gabriella walked over to Troy and squeezed in between his desk chair and the window. She wrapped her arms around shoulders and kissed his cheek.

"Hey baby, how was your bath?" Troy asked.

"My back feels a lot better" Gabriella said.

"Good. How are the feet?" Troy asked.

"Still swollen" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Troy said.

"You coming to bed soon?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah, I just need to send this email" Troy said.

Troy wrote a quick email and sent it. He then looked up at Gabriella.

"Alright, let's go" Troy said.

Troy and Gabriella entwined their fingers together and walked upstairs to their bedroom. Gabriella got into bed. Troy took his shirt and pants off and put them both into the hamper. He then walked to the bed and got in. Gabriella snuggled into Troy's chest as close as she could go.

"I want to get close to you" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He helped reposition Gabriella so that she was closer to him but still comfortable.

"Better?" Troy asked.

"I'll take it" Gabriella said.

Troy chuckled.

"In four months, we can start sleeping the way we used to" Troy said.

The couple fell asleep. The couple both dreamed about what life with their baby would look like.


	7. What's Mine Is Not Always What Is Yours

A week later, Troy, Chad, and Jason came into the house after playing basketball. Gabriella instantly went over to Troy and wrapped her arms around him.

"Hey baby" Troy said wrapping his arms around her waist.

Troy looked up at Taylor and Kelsi who mouthed "mood swings". He nodded. Troy kissed Gabriella's forehead softly.

"How was the game guys?" Taylor asked.

"Troy still has game. But we need to get our butt into the gym" Chad said speaking for himself and Jason.

Troy chuckled.

"What can I say? I have a gift. Hopefully this baby likes basketball just as much as I do. He or she will have their dad and uncles on the floor of the gym during the games" Troy said.

Taylor and Kelsi rolled their eyes. Gabriella looked up at Troy, who looked at her.

"You okay?" Troy whispered.

"Mood swings" Gabriella said softly.

Troy smiled.

"You feeling better?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

So, Troy, how do you feel about fatherhood, speaking of the baby" Jason said.

Chad and Troy looked at each other and remembered their conversation a couple weeks ago.

"I uh, I am excited" Troy said.

Taylor looked at Chad and Troy trade glances with each other.

"What are you hiding, Troy?" Taylor asked.

The men's eyes all widened. Gabriella looked at Troy, who looked back at her. Troy looked at Chad, who nodded.

"I got you, man. Tell her how you feel" Chad said.

"Troy?" Gabriella called softly.

Troy looked at Gabriella.

"I'm scared" Troy said softly.

Gabriella looked at Troy.

"Scared of what?" Gabriella asked.

Troy took a deep breath and released it and looked at Chad, who nodded. He looked back at his wife.

"I'm scared of failing you and failing as a parent" Troy said.

Gabriella knew that it must have been hard for Troy to tell her his fears. She placed her hands on both sides of Troy's face.

"You will never, ever fail me. You have always gone above and beyond for me, Troy. I love you so much. This baby will love you too. We are going to fail at being parents. But we have to learn somehow" Gabriella said.

Troy looked down with Gabriella's hands still on his face.

"Troy, it's normal to feel that way. I felt it too when Kelsi was pregnant with Jan" Jason said.

Troy smiled slightly.

"Hey" Gabriella said softly.

Troy looked at Gabriella.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

"I love you too" Troy said.

Gabriella leaned in and kissed Troy's lips softly. The couple then looked at their friends. Chad shook Troy's hand and pulled him in for a hug. That night, Troy walked upstairs to the bedroom. Gabriella was doing work on her laptop. She looked up at him.

"You've been really quiet since everyone left. Are you okay, Troy?" Gabriella asked.

Troy nodded. He walked over to the bed and lied down next to Gabriella.

"I think I am waiting for you to say that I am crazy for thinking the way I was" Troy said.

Gabriella looked at her husband.

"You are most definitely not crazy. I appreciate you telling me" Gabriella said.

Troy sighed. Gabriella closed her laptop and moved closer to Troy. She raised her pajama top so that her bump was showing. Troy put his hand on his wife's growing bump. He leaned down and kissed it gently. Gabriella smiled.

"I'm sorry that I didn't tell you about everything" Troy said.

"It's in the past. Don't think about it anymore. This baby will be lucky to have you as it's daddy" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"It will be lucky to have you as it's mommy" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled. She placed her hand on top of Troy's. The couple talked about the baby for a little while longer until Gabriella fell asleep.

The next morning, Gabriella woke up and saw that Troy was no longer in bed. She heard movement down the hall. Gabriella got up and walked down the hall to where she heard movement. She walked to the guest room and smiled. Troy was putting things in boxes and trying to move them out of the guest room.

"What are you doing, baby?" Gabriella asked.

"Trying to move all this stuff out of here" Troy said.

"Why?" Gabriella asked.

"So that we can set up the baby's room" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"Do you want some help?" Gabriella asked.

"If you could figure out what you want and don't want in the closet, that would be good" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said walking to the guest room closet.

The couple worked on cleaning up the guest room. An hour and a half later, Troy was finishing up moving things out of the guest room when he saw Gabriella with her hand on her back trying to organize the closet. He walked over to her and put his hand on top of hers.

"Is your back hurting, Brie?" Troy asked.

"A little" Gabriella said.

"Take it easy, okay?" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"If you don't want to work on the closet, I can finish it" Troy said.

"No, I want to finish it" Gabriella said.

Gabriella went on her tip-toes and reached for a box that was on the shelf and almost fell backwards. Troy caught her just in time.

"Alright, I think that's enough for you" Troy said helping Gabriella regain her balance.

"Okay. Sorry that I couldn't be more helpful" Gabriella said putting her hand on her bump.

Troy smiled.

"It's okay, sweetheart. I would rather do it and keep you both safe than have you potentially get hurt" Troy said.

"Call me if you need anything" Gabriella said.

"I will" Troy said.

A couple hours later, Troy finished clearing the guest room. He walked into the kitchen and saw Gabriella eating an apple.

"The guest room is cleared out" Troy said.

"Thank you, baby" Gabriella said.

"No problem" Troy said.

"Now we have to decorate" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"I'll leave that up to you" Troy said kissing Gabriella's cheek.

"Do you have meetings this week?" Gabriella asked.

"A couple. But it will be a conference call and should be quick" Troy said.

"I have to write up a couple contracts" Gabriella said putting her hand on her back.

Troy noticed and looked at his wife.

"Is your back hurting still?" Troy asked.

"A little. It's nothing" Gabriella said.

"Brie, if something hurts, that's something. Sit down" Troy said.

Gabriella sat down on a chair that was next to the center island. Troy kneeled in front of her. Tears ran down Gabriella's face. Troy placed a hand on Gabriella's leg.

"Baby, talk to me" Troy said softly.

"I don't even know why I am crying" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He took Gabriella's hand.

"I'm not trying to be mean. I just am looking out for you" Troy said.

"I know" Gabriella said.

"I understand that it's annoying that you can't do what you used to. But, we need to keep you and the baby safe, okay?" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I love you and that's why I am doing this" Troy said.

Gabriella pulled Troy closer to her.

"I know and I love you too. It's just hard to give up a lot of stuff" Gabriella said.

Troy kissed Gabriella's cheek. He wiped Gabriella's tears away.

"Come on, I'll run a bath for your back" Troy said.

Troy stood up and helped Gabriella stand up. He wrapped his arm around Gabriella's back and the couple walked upstairs. Troy went into the bathroom and turned on the water in the bathtub and let it fill up. He put some of Gabriella's favorite soap into the water and watched it create bubbles. Troy turned off the water and poked his head into the bedroom.

"Sweetheart, your bath is ready" Troy said.

Gabriella walked into the bathroom.

"Thank you" Gabriella said kissing Troy's lips.

"Call me if you need me" Troy said.

Troy left the bathroom and closed the door behind him. Gabriella took her clothes off and got into the warm bath. She moaned as she felt the heat hit her back. Gabriella closed her eyes and took a deep breath and released it. An hour later, Troy knocked on the bathroom door and poked his head in.

"How are you feeling?" Troy asked.

"Better" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Good. Is the back pain gone?" Troy asked.

"It's not gone. But it feels better than before" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Troy said.

Troy left the bathroom. Thirty minutes later, Gabriella walked into the kitchen and saw Troy drinking a glass of water.

"I need to go jump into a phone meeting" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Troy kissed Gabriella lips.

"I love you" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

Troy walked into his office and closed the door. Two hours later, Troy walked out of his office. He walked upstairs and into the bedroom. Troy smiled when he saw Gabriella sleeping surrounded by pillows supporting her back and stomach. He walked over to Gabriella's side of the bed and pulled the covers up, so they covered her shoulder. Troy then leaned down and kissed his wife's head. He took his shirt and pants off and walked to his side of the bed and got in and lied down. Gabriella stirred. Troy looked at Gabriella, who opened her eyes slowly.

"Go back to sleep baby" Troy whispered.

"Mm" Gabriella moaned.

"Do you need more pillows?" Troy whispered.

"Closer" Gabriella mumbled reaching for him.

Troy smiled. He moved closer to Gabriella, careful to not move the pillows that supported her around.

"Better?' Troy whispered.

Gabriella responded by placing her head on Troy's chest and sighed. Troy smiled. He turned off the light and fell asleep. The next day, Troy woke up and looked at the clock on his bedside table. It read nine AM. He turned over and saw Gabriella still sleeping. Troy was glad because she needed sleep. He carefully got out of bed and pulled the covers higher so that they covered Gabriella. Troy then walked out of the bedroom and went downstairs to his office. Two hours later, Troy was in the kitchen making a smoothie. He heard movement coming from the stairs. A couple moments later, Gabriella walked into the kitchen in one of Troy's sweatshirts. Troy poured his smoothie into a glass and looked up.

"How did you sleep?" Troy asked.

"Good. The pillows and you helped" Gabriella said sitting at the center island.

Troy took a sip of his smoothie.

"Do you want me to make you one?" Troy asked.

"Can I taste it first?" Gabriella asked.

"Baby has to approve it" Troy said.

"Yeah" Gabriella said.

Troy moved his smoothie over to Gabriella. She took a sip and crinkled her nose.

"No?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shook her head. She pushed the smoothie back to Troy.

"I'm not feeling it" Gabriella said.

"What can I make you?" Troy asked.

Gabriella licked her lips.

"Can I have toast and some tomato sauce on it?" Gabriella asked.

Troy looked at Gabriella, disgusted by her food choice.

"Coming right up" Troy said.

Troy put a piece of bread into the toaster. Once the toast was done, he walked to the refrigerator and pulled out the tomato sauce. Troy took a spoon and scooped some onto the toast and spread it evenly. He placed Gabriella's food in front of her. Gabriella took a bite and nodded.

"You want some?" Gabriella asked with her mouth full.

Troy smiled.

"No thank you baby. It's all yours" Troy said.

Gabriella shrugged. Troy took a sip of his smoothie and watched his wife eat her food. He smiled and shook his head. A couple days later, Gabriella had an appointment with Dr. A. She and Troy walked into the office. Gabriella signed herself in and sat down next to Troy.

"You are starting to look less nervous" Gabriella said.

Troy looked at Gabriella and smiled.

"I feel less nervous about this kind of stuff. But all the stuff regarding labor and delivery is what makes me nervous" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled and kissed Troy's lips.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

"I love you too" Troy said.

Gabriella's name was called and the couple followed a nurse into a room so that Gabriella's vital signs could be taken.

"You've gained twenty pounds. Dr. A will talk about that when she comes in" the nurse said.

The couple nodded. They then followed the nurse into an exam room. The nurse handed Gabriella a gown and left the room. Gabriella changed into the gown and sat on the exam table.

"Is gaining twenty pounds bad or something?" Troy asked.

"I think that she will probably want me to gain more weight because of the baby" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded. A couple minutes later, Dr. A came into the room.

"Hi guys. How are you feeling, Gabi?" Dr. A asked as she washed her hands.

"Big, uncomfortable, hormonal, and a lot of cravings" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"The nurse made a note to discuss the amount of weight that you've gained. You've only gained twenty pounds. This is fine for right now. But, we want to make sure that you gain a little more for the baby" Dr. A said.

The couple nodded.

"So, what can we do?" Troy asked.

"You can eat the things you crave. But do not overdue it" Dr. A said.

The couple nodded. Dr. A asked Gabriella to lie back on the exam table. She turned on the ultrasound and lifted Gabriella's gown above her bellybutton and placed a sheet over her legs. Dr. A grabbed a bottle of gel and squeezed some of the product onto Gabriella's stomach. Troy took Gabriella's hand in his own. Gabriella looked at Troy and smiled. Dr. A took the wand and moved the gel around Gabriella's stomach and looked at the monitor.

"There's your baby" Dr. A said.

The couple looked at the monitor. Gabriella's eyes filled with tears. Troy kissed Gabriella's head softly and smoothed her hair back.

"Is it healthy?" Gabriella asked.

"From the looks of it. You just need to make sure you gain a little more weight" Dr. A said.

The couple nodded.

"I can print some pictures for you guys" Dr. A said.

The couple nodded. Dr. A left the room. Gabriella sat up.

"We are going to eat whatever you crave, okay? It can be the most disgusting thing ever, I don't care" Troy said.

Gabriella giggled. Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly. Dr. A came back and handed the sonogram to Troy. She then examined Gabriella. The couple left the office ten minutes later. Once they got into the car, Troy looked at Gabriella.

"Are you hungry?" Troy asked.

"A little" Gabriella said.

"What do you want to eat?" Troy asked.

Gabriella sat and thought for a minute.

"I want a peanut butter and jelly sandwich" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Anything else?" Troy asked.

Gabriella sat and thought.

"Onion rings with a lot of ranch" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Okay baby" Troy said.

Troy drove to Carl's Jr. (do not own) and went into the drive-thru. He ordered Gabriella's onion rings and ranch and paid. Troy handed Gabriella the bag that contained her food. He then started driving home. Once the couple got home, Troy and Gabriella went into the kitchen. Gabriella sat at the center island and watched Troy make her sandwich. Troy placed Gabriella's sandwich in front of her.

"Thank you baby" Gabriella said.

"You are very welcome" Troy said.

Gabriella ate her meal happily. After she finished, Gabriella looked at Troy.

"Feel better?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"Good" Troy said placing his hand on Gabriella's stomach.

"The baby looked good though she said" Gabriella said.

"Mmhm. The weight thing is the only that we need to work on" Troy said.

"We?" Gabriella asked.

"Yes, we. Yeah, you are the one that is carrying the baby. But, it's just as much your pregnancy that it is mine, right?" Troy said.

"Not really" Gabriella said.

"Why do you say that?" Troy asked.

"Because you don't know what it feels like to have something living inside of you. You don't need four sizes up in clothing in less than six months. You don't have mood swings or cravings. You don't feel like one day your husband may not love you because you aren't the same size that you used to be. You don't know what it is like to feel like a burden because your husband had to tell his work that he needed to be closer to home because his wife was having horrible morning sickness. You don't know what it feels like, Troy. This is my pregnancy. I'm pregnant with your baby" Gabriella said as she started to cry.

Troy was stunned. He felt like he stopped breathing. Troy had never heard Gabriella talk like that before and it hurt. He took a deep breath and placed his hand on top of Gabriella's.

"I agree with you one hundred percent, Brie. I don't know what it feels like or know what it's like. I apologize for saying what I said. I was being insensitive. I just thought that because this is our child that we created together, then it was our pregnancy too. But I want to talk about all the things you said. Especially the part where you think I won't love you because you aren't the size that you used to be. That's so far from the truth, Gabriella. So far. I love you for you. The fact that you are carrying our child makes me fall in love with you even more every day. A second thing that I wanted to talk to you about is that you would never, ever, ever be a burden. Never. I love and want to take care of you, Brie. That's my piece" Troy said.

Gabriella was crying. Troy stood up and walked away. He went into his office and shut and locked the door. Troy leaned against the door and took a deep breath in and released it. After a minute of collecting his emotions and thoughts, Troy went to his desk and sat down. He wanted to be alone for a while. Even if what Gabriella said was just something that was a part of a mood swing, it was true information. Two hours later, there was a knock on the door. Troy sighed.

"Troy, can I talk to you please?" Gabriella asked through the closed door.

"I want to be alone right now, Gabriella" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Troy heard Gabriella walk away from the office. He took a deep breath and released it. Another hour went by and Gabriella hadn't come back to Troy's office. He felt a lot calmer and level-headed. Troy got up from his desk and opened his office door and saw Gabriella sitting on the floor outside his office. She looked up at him with tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Troy" Gabriella cried.

Troy put his hand in his pocket and leaned against the door.

"I said a lot of hurtful things that I shouldn't have said" Gabriella said.

"They were hurtful" Troy mumbled.

More tears ran down Gabriella's cheeks.

"I know that you are doing the best you can to understand everything" Gabriella said sniffling.

"I haven't heard you say any of that stuff before" Troy said.

"But we have told each other that we would try and tell one another things like all of this" Gabriella said.

"Yeah, but at the onset. Not when it is bottled up and explodes" Troy said.

"I should have told you. That's my fault" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"I'm sorry that I hurt you" Gabriella said.

Troy swallowed hard. He took a deep breath and released it. Troy sat down next to Gabriella. He wrapped his arm around Gabriella's shoulder. Gabriella cried into his chest. Troy rubbed her back soothingly. They stayed in that position for forty-five minutes. Gabriella looked up at Troy and placed her hand on one side of his face. She leaned in and kissed his lips passionately. Troy kissed her back. Gabriella moved so that she was straddling Troy. Troy placed his hands on Gabriella's hips and pulled away slowly. Gabriella looked at him questioningly.

"I don't think it would be comfortable for you to have sex on a hardwood floor" Troy said.

Gabriella giggled and shook her head. Troy got up and held his hands out and helped Gabriella to a standing position. The couple walked upstairs and into their bedroom. They made love into the early morning.


	8. It's Time To Let Me In

The next morning, Gabriella woke up and looked down and smiled. Troy's arm was protective around Gabriella's bare bump. She looked over her shoulder and saw Troy still sleeping. Gabriella looked around the bedroom. She and Troy were wrapped in their bedsheets. Gabriella took one of the sheets and wrapped herself in it and got out of bed. She walked to the bathroom and closed the door. Five minutes later, Gabriella walked out of the bathroom and smiled when she saw Troy sitting up in bed.

"Hey" Troy said softly.

"Hey" Gabriella said softly.

Gabriella walked back to the bed and got in and snuggled into Troy's chest.

"You feeling okay?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"Yeah" Gabriella said.

After their activities last night, Gabriella became vulnerable and expressed a lot of fears about her pregnancy to Troy. Troy listened to Gabriella cry and talk about what she was afraid of. Gabriella traced invisible shapes on Troy's chest.

"Thank you for talking to me last night about everything" Troy said.

Gabriella looked up and smiled.

"Thanks for listening" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled and placed a gentle kiss on Gabriella's forehead and then her lips.

The couple stayed in a comfortable silence for a while. That afternoon, Gabriella was sitting in the kitchen with her laptop. Troy had left to get paint for the baby's room. Gabriella heard the door open and footsteps coming closer to the kitchen.

"I got the paint" Troy said putting two paint cans onto the center island.

"Thank you baby" Gabriella said.

"No problem. What are you working on?" Troy asked walking in back of her and placing his hand on Gabriella's shoulder.

"Contracts. I have to go to court next week" Gabriella said.

"Are you ready?" Troy asked.

"Not even close" Gabriella said.

"Do you need any help?" Troy asked.

Gabriella looked up at her husband and pulled him in and kissed his lips. Troy pulled back slowly.

"That's sweet of you. But it is all confidential information" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Troy said.

"Thanks for asking though" Gabriella said.

"No problem" Troy said.

Troy kissed Gabriella's head softly.

"I'll put these paint cans in the guest room. I'll call and ask Chad if he wants to help me paint this weekend" Troy said.

"Can I help?" Gabriella asked.

Troy raised his eyebrow. He leaned against the island and looked at Gabriella.

"I would love for you to help, sweetheart. But remember when you tried to help clear out the bedroom? I would feel a lot better if we found something easier for you to do that did not involve painting or carrying heavy stuff" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I just want to keep you and the baby safe, that's all" Troy said.

"I know. So, what can I do?" Gabriella asked.

"We could go look at furniture to put in the room? I'll let you have full control of that" Troy said.

"My mom said she wants to go also so that we know what we are doing" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Troy said.

The next day, the couple and Maria Montez went shopping for furniture to put into the baby's room. Troy, Gabriella, and Maria were looking in a store and walking down aisles of merchandise. Gabriella started to get lost in all of it. As the couple followed Maria's lead, Gabriella slipped her hand into Troy's and squeezed his hand. Troy looked at Gabriella and saw how overwhelmed she looked.

"Hey mom, we are going to go look at the strollers, okay? We will be back" Troy said.

"Okay. Let me know what you find" Maria said.

The couple walked away from Maria to the stroller aisle. Troy turned to Gabriella.

"You okay?" Troy asked.

"It's really overwhelming and this experience makes me feel like I don't know anything about having a baby" Gabriella said tearfully.

"Brie, it's okay to feel that way. I would be lying if I said that I wasn't feeling that way too. But, we have to start somewhere, right? Baby steps" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Come on, let's look through the strollers and see if we find anything interesting okay?" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

The couple looked at the strollers. They found Maria and looked through different parts of the store. The couple and Maria found a lot of necessities for the baby. They returned home and brought everything into the baby's room. Gabriella had organized everything into sections in the room. As she organized, Troy leaned against the doorway. Gabriella looked up and smiled.

"How's it going in here?" Troy asked.

"Good. I think for right now, we are in a good spot in terms of organizing everything" Gabriella said.

"You should take a picture since Chad and I will be painting this weekend" Troy said reminding Gabriella.

Gabriella put her hand to her face.

"I forgot, Troy. I will help you move-" Gabriella started.

"No. Don't worry about it, baby. I will handle it. All you have to worry about is where to put everything when the painting is done, okay? That's all I want you to think about" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

"Alright. Come on, someone looks a little sleepy" Troy said.

"I was just getting started" Gabriella said.

Troy chuckled.

"Are you sure-" Gabriella started.

"Brie, I will handle it" Troy said kissing her nose.

Gabriella sighed and placed her hand on her bump.

"Come on" Troy said taking her hand.

The couple walked upstairs and went into the bedroom. Gabriella lied down on their bed and fell asleep as soon her head hit the pillow. Two hours later, Troy successfully moved all of the baby furniture into the garage for the time being. He didn't hear Gabriella come into the room.

"That was fast" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He walked over to Gabriella.

"Did you underestimate your strong husband's capabilities Ms. Bolton?" Troy joked.

Gabriella smiled and giggled.

"No, but I would have liked to watch my strong, sexy husband move everything, Mr. Bolton" Gabriella said.

Troy wrapped his arms around Gabriella. Gabriella placed her head on Troy's chest.

"In three and a half months, we will have a baby living in here" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled and nodded. She looked up at Troy and kissed his lips softly.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

"I love you too" Troy said.

That night, Gabriella tossed and turned in her sleep. Troy woke up when he felt Gabriella moving constantly. He sat up and gently shook her to wake her up. Gabriella opened her eyes and looked at her husband.

"What's going on, baby?" Troy asked sleepily.

"I ache everywhere and can't get comfortable" Gabriella said.

Troy got out of bed and walked to Gabriella's side. He held out his hands and Gabriella took them and stood up.

"Where does it hurt?" Troy asked.

"My back and my feet" Gabriella said.

Troy motioned Gabriella to come closer to him. He wrapped his arms around his wife and gently started to massage her aching back. Gabriella started to cry.

"Am I hurting you, Brie?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shook her head.

"It just aches, Troy" Gabriella cried wrapping her arms around Troy's shoulders.

Troy continued to massage Gabriella's back. A couple minutes later, Troy looked at Gabriella.

"Are you feeling a little better baby?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shook her head. Troy got an idea.

"Get back into bed, baby" Troy said.

Gabriella got into bed. Troy was walking out of the room.

"Where are you going?" Gabriella asked.

"I'll be back in two seconds" Troy said.

Troy went into the bathroom and grabbed a washcloth. He brought the washcloth to the sink and turned on the hot water. Troy soaked the washcloth until it was drenched in hot water and wrung it out. He walked back into the bedroom and went back to Gabriella's side of the bed.

"Turn over for me, Brie" Troy said.

Gabriella turned over so that she was facing Troy's side of the bed.

"Is it your upper back?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded. Troy carefully put the hot, damp cloth under Gabriella's pajama shirt and onto her upper back and spread it out so that it was lying flat on her back. Troy then placed Gabriella's pajama shirt back into place. He pulled the covers over Gabriella's body. Troy walked to his side of the bed and looked at Gabriella.

"How does that feel?" Troy asked.

"Better" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Good. If you need me to soak it again, wake me up and I'll help you" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy got back into bed. Gabriella leaned over and kissed Troy's lips.

"Thank you" Gabriella said sleepily.

"No problem, sweetheart. Go back to sleep" Troy said.

A couple hours and scorching hot damp washcloths later, Gabriella was finally sleeping peacefully. Troy looked at the clock, which read seven-thirty AM. He was exhausted and he knew Gabriella was even more so. Troy underestimated what Gabriella's pregnancy would be like. He felt awful that he couldn't take the pain that she was feeling away.

"Troy" Gabriella mumbled.

Troy looked at Gabriella.

"Do you need another one, Brie?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shook her head. She reached for Troy's hand. Troy took Gabriella's hand in his own.

"I love you" Gabriella mumbled.

Troy smiled.

"Thank you and I'm sorry that I kept you up all night" Gabriella said a little louder.

Troy leaned over and kissed Gabriella's forehead softly.

"I love you too. I wish I could have done more to help you. Don't worry about keeping me up" Troy said.

"This baby is going to know how great of a dad you are from the first day that it's here" Gabriella said.

Troy's heart swelled.

"I am just trying my best to make it's mommy more comfortable" Troy said.

Gabriella opened her eyes.

"You always make me feel comfortable. You have that presence" Gabriella said.

"What presence?" Troy asked.

"You just care so much about me and this baby" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"I do love you both more than anything" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled tiredly.

"We love you too" Gabriella said.

"Go back to sleep, Brie. Chad will be here in a little bit to start painting" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Wake me up if you need me" Gabriella said sleepily.

Troy smiled.

"Night, baby. Love you" Troy said kissing Gabriella's forehead.

A couple hours later, Gabriella woke up feeling a little more refreshed. She saw that Troy was not in the bedroom. Gabriella heard two men laughing down the hall. She got up carefully and walked down the hall to where she heard the voices. Gabriella poked her head in and saw Troy and Chad painting the baby's room. Chad turned around and smiled.

"Hey Gabi, I heard you had a rough night" Chad said.

"Yeah, it's hard to get comfortable with a balloon under your clothes that doesn't pop" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"It will pop literally soon" Chad said.

"Did you need something, babe?" Troy asked.

"No, I just saw that you were gone and I didn't know if Chad was here" Gabriella said.

"Sorry. I wanted to let you sleep since you didn't get any last night" Troy said.

"Did you take a nap too?" Gabriella asked.

"No, I had a cup of coffee" Troy said.

Gabriella rolled her eyes and groaned.

"Three and a half months, Brie. I will buy you your first cup. I promise" Troy said.

Gabriella sighed.

"Well, I'll let you guys get back to work. Let me know when it is done" Gabriella said placing her hand on her bump.

"I will" Troy said.

"Love you" Gabriella said.

"Love you" Troy said kissing Gabriella's lips.

Gabriella left the baby's room and closed the door behind her. Troy turned back and looked at Chad.

"So, how is dad-to-be life treating you?" Chad asked putting his paint roller into a tray.

Troy smiled.

"It has had it's moments but I'm just trying to support Brie in any way that I can" Troy said.

"That's all you can do at this point. How far along is she?" Chad asked.

"Five and a half months" Troy said.

"So twenty-two weeks?" Chad asked.

Troy raised his eyebrow.

"Huh?" Troy asked.

"You've never heard that?" Chad asked.

"No" Troy said slowly.

"The doctor will not count by months. They count by weeks" Chad said.

Troy turned dark red.

"Don't worry about it, hoops. It took me a minute to understand it too" Chad said.

"There is just so much that I feel like I don't know" Troy said rolling the brush onto the wall.

"You will get it. This is your first time going through this, Troy. You don't have to be perfect" Chad said.

"So to answer your question. Gabs is twenty-two weeks pregnant" Troy said.

"What's the plan for the birth?" Chad asked.

Troy's eyes widened.

"I'm trying to get you to think. I'm not trying to be a jerk" Chad said.

Troy smiled slightly.

"No. I just haven't thought that far ahead yet. We haven't talked about it" Troy said.

Chad nodded.

"I'm scared of it to be completely honest with you" Troy said.

"I was too" Chad said.

Troy and Chad looked at each other.

"So, painting" Troy said.

"Right" Chad said.

Later that day, Troy walked into the kitchen and saw Gabriella eating a snack. He snaked his arms around Gabriella's bump and kissed her neck. Gabriella put her hand on Troy's head.

"Hey, you guys done?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah. Chad is dad of the year" Troy mumbled.

"What makes you say that?" Gabriella asked.

"He officially freaked me out. Also, I just watched Tay give birth to Eli and I am traumatized for life" Troy said.

"What were you guys talking about?" Gabriella asked.

"The baby and fatherhood. He kind of made me feel unprepared" Troy said.

Gabriella looked at Troy.

"What did he say that made you feel like that?" Gabriella asked.

"He asked if we had plans for this thing and that thing. I didn't think about half of those and I freaked out" Troy said.

"Baby, maybe you shouldn't take advice from Chad. Try talking to your dad and see what he says. He would be more reliable than Chad. Also, he would never make you watch your mom give birth to you" Gabriella said.

"I'm literally traumatized for life because of that video. I'll never be able to look at Tay the same" Troy said.

Gabriella giggled.

"How are you doing in here?" Troy asked.

"Fine. The baby is trying to make me really uncomfortable today" Gabriella said.

"I'm sorry baby" Troy said placing his hand on Gabriella's stomach.

"It's okay. I'm just resting upstairs but I got hungry" Gabriella said.

"Yell for me if you need me" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy kissed her lips and rubbed his nose against hers. Gabriella smiled. The couple walked back upstairs and went their separate ways. The next day was Saturday. Troy had told Gabriella that he was going to go hang out with Jack, his father. Troy drove to his childhood home and grabbed the basketball that he had brought with him. Basketball is what allowed Troy and Jack to talk about things that were bothering them. It had been that way since Troy was in junior high. Troy bounced the basketball through the side gate of the house and went into the backyard. He started doing free throws and acting like he was actually playing in a basketball game with the sound effects to complete the experience. Troy heard the back door open and Jack walked over to him.

"You haven't played that hardcore since college, Troy. Something is up" Jack said.

Troy dribbled the ball looking down and nodded.

"Want to tell me what's on your mind?" Jack asked.

Troy nodded. He looked up, still dribbling.

"Yeah" Troy said shooting the ball into the basketball hoop.

"So, what's going on? Are you and Gabi okay? The baby?" Jack asked.

"The baby is fine. Gabs is fine. It's just me" Troy said.

Jack nodded. He had a feeling he knew what Troy wanted to talk about.

"What's going on with you?" Jack asked.

"Do you think that I will be a good father?" Troy asked.

Jack's face softened. He picked the ball up and shot it into the hoop. Troy caught the ball at the hoop.

"Troy, if you are worried about any of that, you know you can talk to me about it" Jack said.

Troy nodded.

"I think that you will be an amazing father to your child, whether it be a girl or a boy. You are going to be a first-time parent and that is a scary thing. Especially for a man. You are going to love that child no matter what because that is who you are. Look at how you and Gabi are. You would do anything for that woman" Jack said.

Troy started to tear up. He swallowed hard. Jack took the ball out of his son's hands and hugged him and let him cry. Jack whispered how proud he was of Troy as he cried. Jack and Troy stood like that for twenty minutes until Troy pulled away.

"Feel better?" Jack asked.

Troy nodded.

"Chad freaked me out too. He keeps saying how as a dad you need to know this and that. It was overwhelming" Troy said.

"Chad was probably trying to explain to you that it is okay to make mistakes. You and Gabi will make them. I made a lot of mistakes with you. It is different to look back and see how your life was before you have a child. Chad just explained it weird" Jack said.

"I don't want to let the baby or Brie down" Troy said.

"And you won't. Will there be mistakes? Yes. Will you learn from them? Yeah" Jack said.

Troy took a deep breath and released it.

"Was that the rest of it?" Jack asked.

Troy smiled slightly and nodded. He made a three-pointer shot. An hour later, Troy drove back home. He opened the front door and Gabriella poked her head into the entry way. Troy dropped his keys onto the table and looked at his wife. Gabriella smiled. He walked over to Gabriella and put his arms around her.

"I love you so much" Troy said.

"I love you too Troy. Are you okay?" Gabriella asked.

Troy nodded.

"I just needed to talk to my dad about some stuff that was bothering me" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled. She took in Troy's appearance and noticed that his eyes were red and puffy.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Gabriella asked.

"Promise you won't laugh or lecture me about how crazy it sounds?" Troy said.

"I promise baby" Gabriella said.

"I think I am nervous" Troy said.

Gabriella looked at Troy confused.

"About what?" Gabriella asked.

"This baby coming" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled slightly.

"Is this about what Chad said?" Gabriella asked as she guided Troy into the living room so that they could sit down.

Troy nodded.

"I don't know what kind of father that I will be and that really scares me, Brie" Troy said.

Gabriella looked at Troy.

"Baby, it's okay. We will get to learn together. I understand that Chad is your best friend but some things you need to shut out and experience for yourself. What did your dad say to you? Did you tell him what Chad said?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah. He said that I would love this baby no matter who they are because that is the type of person that I am. He talked about how much that I love you and would do anything for you" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled. She took Troy's hand and placed it on her almost six-month bump.

"You will and you are that type of person. I know how much you love me" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"I hope so. I love you so much" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled. She leaned in and kissed Troy's lips. Troy pulled back and smiled. He leaned in and kissed Gabriella again. Troy felt a lot better talking about his fears about becoming a father with both his father and Gabriella.


	9. Baby Talk

A couple weeks later, Troy was in his office working on a project for his company. He had stunned everyone at each branch because even though he was working from home, Troy was still as dedicated to his work. Gabriella poked her head into Troy's office and knocked on the door. Troy looked up and smiled.

"Hey baby, how was court?" Troy asked.

"Court was court. I'm just glad that it is over" Gabriella said taking off her suit jacket and unbuttoning the top button of her pants.

Troy smiled as he noticed Gabriella trying to get comfortable.

"Baby growing again?" Troy asked.

Gabriella smiled and nodded. She placed her hand on her bump.

"I was sweating because I thought I was going to rip my suit today. I was so excited to unbutton these pants" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He motioned for Gabriella to come closer to him. Gabriella walked over to Troy, who offered his lap to her.

"I'll hurt you" Gabriella said worriedly.

"No, you won't" Troy said.

Gabriella carefully sat on Troy's leg and wrapped her arm around his shoulders. Troy placed his hand on Gabriella's expanding bump.

"What are you working on?" Gabriella asked.

"Organizing a new program that we have been needing for months" Troy said.

"Mm" Gabriella said leaning her head against her husband's.

Gabriella watched Troy work on his program. She groaned.

"What's wrong?" Troy asked looking at Gabriella.

"I just felt some weird thing in my stomach" Gabriella said.

"What do you mean weird thing? Like you feel pain?" Troy asked now concerned.

Gabriella shook her head.

"Like butterflies but not" Gabriella said.

"Do you want to call Dr. A and ask?" Troy asked.

"No, I can call my mom or Tay" Gabriella said.

"Okay. Are you sure you are okay, Brie?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"It was just weird" Gabriella said.

Gabriella picked up Troy's work phone and dialed her mother's number. She put the call on speaker.

"Troy?" Maria answered.

"Hi Maria, it's both Gabriella and I" Troy said.

"Hi guys, what are you up to?" Maria asked.

"We had a question about something. I just felt like a weird movement in my stomach. I didn't know if it was pregnancy related or not" Gabriella said.

"Butterflies?" Maria asked.

"Yeah" Gabriella said placing her hand on her bump.

Maria giggled.

"The baby is kicking" Maria said.

Gabriella smiled and started crying. Troy smiled.

"Gabs is in tears" Troy said as he rubbed Gabriella's back.

"It's a very cool thing" Maria said.

"Yeah, it is. Thanks Maria. We really appreciate it" Troy said.

"No problem. If you need something, you can always call" Maria said.

"We will" Troy said.

Troy hung up the phone. He looked at Gabriella and smiled.

"That's our baby" Troy said.

Gabriella sniffled and nodded.

"You okay, sweetheart?" Troy asked.

"Yeah, it's just so crazy" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded. That night, Gabriella was lying in bed. She had her pajama shirt pulled up and was trying to feel the baby kick. Troy walked into the bedroom and smiled.

"What are you doing, baby?" Troy asked.

"Trying to feel the baby kick" Gabriella said.

Troy unbuttoned his shirt and took his pants off and threw them into the hamper. He then climbed into bed and snuggled close to Gabriella and placed his hand on her growing bump.

"He kicked!" Troy squealed like a ten-year-old boy as he felt the baby kick his hand.

Gabriella laughed.

"You are so cute" Gabriella said kissing Troy's lips.

Troy smiled. Gabriella put her head on Troy's shoulder. She then placed her hand on top of Troy's.

"It's crazy that this person that we have been talking about long before we were even married is going to be here in three months" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled and nodded.

"But, it's also really scary at the same time" Gabriella said.

"What's scary?" Troy asked entwining their fingers on top of Gabriella's bump.

"What is going to happen" Gabriella said.

"What's going to happen?" Troy asked trying to figure out what Gabriella was saying.

"I have to give birth to our baby. That is scary" Gabriella said quietly.

Troy brought their entwined fingers to his mouth. He kissed Gabriella's fingers lovingly and brought them back down to their original place.

"What is scaring you?" Troy asked.

"You see those movies where these women give birth and it looks like they are dying" Gabriella said.

Troy kissed Gabriella's temple softly.

"Brie, those are movies. They are very dramatized. I am not going to let anything happen to you or the baby. I'll be with you the whole time" Troy said.

Gabriella's eyes filled with tears.

"Maybe we should talk to Dr. A and ask what to expect. You could also talk to your mom or Tay and find out from them too" Troy continued.

Gabriella nodded.

"I know that you are going to do great. Do you want to know how I know that?" Troy asked kissing Gabriella's cheek.

"How?" Gabriella asked.

"Because you are Gabriella Montez-Bolton. You are going to be fine. We are going to be fine" Troy said looking into her eyes.

Gabriella smiled slightly. She leaned in and kissed Troy's lips softly.

"I love you so much, Troy. Thank you" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"I love you too, baby. This is something that we need to talk about for not just you. But, for me too" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. The couple felt the baby kick both of their hands.

"Woah, dude. That was a big one. Does it hurt when it kicks you?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shook her head.

"It just feels weird" Gabriella said.

"Get some sleep, baby. Wake me up if you need me" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. She leaned in and kissed Troy's lips and snuggled into him and fell asleep. The next morning, Troy woke up and saw that Gabriella was no longer in bed. He looked at the bathroom and saw that the light was off. Troy got up and walked downstairs. He saw Gabriella in the living room working on a contract. Troy walked over to Gabriella and wrapped his arms around her and kissed her cheek.

"You are up early" Troy said.

"I couldn't sleep" Gabriella said.

"Why?" Troy asked.

"I feel like we have so much that we need to do before the baby comes and I freaked out this morning because of it" Gabriella said.

Troy sat down next to Gabriella.

"Is this about our conversation last night, Brie?" Troy asked.

"A little. But it is more so of what we need to do" Gabriella said truthfully.

"What do we need to do? Did you talk to Dr. A?" Troy asked.

"I didn't talk to her. But, Tay called and talked to me for a while and I started crying because I'm so worried that we won't get everything done in time" Gabriella said.

"Baby, everything will get done. What did Tay say?" Troy asked.

"She basically asked me the same questions that Chad asked you" Gabriella said.

Troy saw how worried Gabriella looked. He took her hand in his.

"Just focus on what's in front of you. When I told my dad about Chad, that's basically what he told me. He told me to focus on our family. Tay probably thinks that she is just trying to help because she has been through everything before" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Maybe I should talk to my mom about everything and see what she says" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled slightly.

"If that's what you want to do, I am all for it" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled. Troy put his hand on Gabriella's face.

"We're going to be okay" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. She teared up and pulled Troy closer to her. Troy kissed Gabriella's temple. He moved so that he was sitting next to Gabriella. That afternoon, Gabriella was at her mother's house.

"How are you feeling?" Maria asked.

"Tired and emotional. A lot has been going on" Gabriella said.

"Like what?" Maria asked.

Gabriella told her mother the story about her and Troy's fears about the birth and the other decisions that they needed to make. She also told her mother about what Chad and Taylor both said to her and Troy about motherhood and fatherhood. An hour later, Gabriella was emotionally exhausted. Troy had called Maria's to make sure Gabriella was okay because she had been gone for so long. Troy was in his office when he heard the front door open. He walked out of his office to the front door and saw Gabriella, who was sniffling.

"Hey sweetheart, you okay?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded. Troy opened his arms and Gabriella walked into them. He wrapped his arms around Gabriella and kissed her lips softly.

"How was your talk with your mom?" Troy asked carefully.

Gabriella sighed.

"When I started telling her, I was okay. But then when I got to Chad and Tay, that's when I started crying and thought that if I continued telling her everything that I wouldn't stop. I didn't tell her anymore than that because she had to calm me down. After she calmed me down, she started telling me about my her and my dad and how scared they both were to have me" Gabriella said.

"How did you feel after she told you about her and your dad?" Troy asked.

"Better. She told me the same thing that you told me. She also said that you reminded her of my dad, and she was glad that I married you and am having a baby with you" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. A week later, Gabriella was six months pregnant. She and Troy had just come home from her doctor's appointment with Dr. A, who said that everything looked great. Troy and Gabriella were laying bed that night thinking about a lot of different things silently. Gabriella, who was lying on her side rolled over to Troy's side and wrapped her arms around him.

"What are you thinking about?" Troy asked.

"A lot of different things" Gabriella said.

Troy looked down at Gabriella.

"Do you want to let me in on those things?" Troy asked.

"I was thinking about after the baby comes" Gabriella said.

"What about it?" Troy asked.

"Are you going to go on your work trips again?" Gabriella asked.

Troy hadn't thought about that. He took a deep breath in and released it.

"I haven't thought about it yet. If I were to, would you and the baby come with me?" Troy asked.

"That would be something that we would have to decide together" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"I don't want to leave you by yourself to take care of the baby" Troy said.

"I don't want to be alone either" Gabriella said.

Troy put his hand on Gabriella's bump and felt the baby kick. He smiled and leaned over and kissed Gabriella's bump softly.

"When the time comes to figure it out, we will. But, there is no reason that you need to plan everything out now" Troy said.

Gabriella folded her hands on top of her stomach and nodded. A month and a half later, Gabriella was seven and a half months pregnant. Troy, Maria, Taylor, and Kelsi had been planning a baby shower for Gabriella. She knew that there was something going on but she didn't know what it was. One morning, Troy was not home. He had told Gabriella that he was with Chad. Maria called Gabriella.

"Hello?" Gabriella answered.

"Hi Gabi, how's it going?" Maria asked.

"I'm so achy. My ankles are huge. Everything is bloated" Gabriella cried.

Gabriella had gained a lot more weight in the past month and a half. The weight gain had also made her more emotional which resulted in her having more mood swings than in her whole pregnancy thus far. Troy had tried to make Gabriella feel as comfortable as she could get. Gabriella would feel bad about how hard Troy was working to make her feel comfortable when she couldn't return the favor to him.

_Flashback to a couple weeks before_

_Troy and Gabriella were kissing and touching each other lovingly. Troy placed his hand on Gabriella's thigh. The couple locked eyes with each other. Gabriella nodded. The couple attempted to make love several times, but Gabriella wasn't comfortable when they tried. _

"_Brie, it's okay. We don't have to" Troy said. _

"_I am just a big balloon and ugly" Gabriella cried. _

"_Hey, no you are not. Baby, you are at the end of your pregnancy" Troy said trying to comfort her. _

"_I am embarrassed to even be doing this. I can't even do something nice for my husband" Gabriella cried. _

"_Brie, you don't have to do anything" Troy said. _

_End of Flashback_

"You have a month and a half left to go, Gabi. Time will pass by quickly. Do you want to come over?" Maria asked.

"Okay. I'll probably take a nap over there too" Gabriella said.

"Okay honey. I'll see you soon" Maria said.

They hung up the phone. Maria turned around and looked around her house where Troy and Taylor were setting up for Gabriella's baby shower.

"What did she say, Maria?" Troy asked.

"She said that she is really achy. But, she will come over" Maria said.

Troy nodded. An hour and a half later, friends and family gathered at Maria's house for Gabriella's baby shower.

"Are you talking to her, Troy?" Taylor asked.

"Yeah. She wants me to come home" Troy said as he texted Gabriella.

The doorbell rang and everyone hid. Maria walked to the front door and opened it.

"Hi Gabi, wow you look like you are going to pop" Maria said.

"I feel that way" Gabriella said putting her hand on her bump and feeling the baby kick.

The two women walked into the living room and everyone jumped out and yelled surprise. Gabriella gasped.

"What?" Gabriella asked with tears in her eyes.

"We wanted to throw you a baby shower" Taylor said.

Gabriella hugged her best friend. She spotted Troy and started crying. Troy walked over to his wife and wrapped his arms around her.

"Surprise baby" Troy said kissing her lips.

"Thank you. This is very sweet" Gabriella said.

"I talked to mom and Tay and told them about what's been going on as far as us. They suggested that I plan all of this out to show you how much I love you" Troy said.

Gabriella kissed Troy's lips.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

"I love you too, baby" Troy said.

Troy put his hand on Gabriella's bump and felt the baby kick and smiled.

"Mom said that you were achy when she talked to you before you came over. How are you feeling now?" Troy asked.

"Still achy and just tired" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded. He took in Gabriella's appearance and did she how tired she was. Troy wrapped his arm around Gabriella and led her to the couch. The couple sat down on the couch and talked to their family and friends about the new arrival that would be coming. That night, the couple was getting ready for bed. Gabriella was already in bed waiting for Troy. Troy came into the bedroom and climbed into bed.

"Did you have fun today?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded sleepily.

"Yeah. Thank you for doing all of that, Troy. It was very sweet" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He leaned in and kissed Gabriella's forehead softly.

"Go to sleep, baby. You have had a long day" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

"I love you too" Troy said.

A week later, the couple was at Dr. A's office. Dr. A had done an ultrasound and exam and had said everything looked good.

"As far as when Gabriella has the baby, what do we do? When do we go to the hospital?" Troy asked.

Gabriella looked at Troy and took his hand in her own. Dr. A talked to the couple about when they should go to the hospital when Gabriella was in labor. That night, Troy was in the baby's room assembling furniture. There was a knock on the door. Troy looked up and saw Chad walk in.

"What's up, hoops?" Chad asked.

"Nothing. Just trying to assemble some of this furniture" Troy said wiping sweat from his forehead.

"Do you need some help?" Chad asked.

"Yeah, thanks" Troy said.

Chad and Troy assembled the baby's crib and changing table. They then assembled the baby's dresser. Troy brought in a bunch of boxes that contained clothes for the baby. He started folding them and placing them into the dresser.

"The dresser, crib, and changing table are done" Troy said tiredly.

"It's looking good in here" Gabriella said.

Troy turned around and smiled.

"There is a couple more things that we need to assemble and then it will really be done" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. She walked over to Troy.

"Thanks for helping him, Chad" Gabriella said.

"No problem, Gabi. I'm happy to help" Chad said.

"Babe, I folded the clothes and put them in the dresser if you are looking for them" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"Okay. Thank you. I'll let you guys get back to work" Gabriella said kissing Troy's lips softly.

Gabriella left the room.

"Someone is going to get some love tonight" Chad said.

Troy chuckled.

"We have been taking a break from that" Troy said.

"Why?" Chad asked pulling out another box of furniture.

"She's been really uncomfortable and self-conscious. She's really upset about it" Troy said.

"Baby starting to bother her?" Chad asked.

Troy nodded.

"The bump gets in the way sometimes and she wants to get closer to me but can't" Troy said.

"It will pass, Troy" Chad said.

"I know. I just feel bad that she has to go through all the aches, pains, weight gain, and everything. I just have to be a husband and a father. I don't have to physically feel any discomfort" Troy said opening a box.

The two men finished assembling furniture and took in the work that they did.

"Gabi will love it" Chad said.

Troy smiled.

"Thanks for your help, man" Troy said shaking his best friend's hand.

Troy walked Chad out of the house. He then walked back into the house and into the kitchen.

"What's the poison today?" Troy asked.

Gabriella looked at Troy and tears formed in her eyes. Troy kicked himself for saying that. He walked over to Gabriella and kissed her cheek.

"I'm sorry baby. I was joking" Troy said.

"I'm overly emotional and you chose to joke. That's not cool, Troy" Gabriella said wiping tears from her eyes.

"I know and I am sorry" Troy said.

Gabriella wrapped her arms around Troy. Troy put his hand on Gabriella's back.

"What are we eating?" Troy asked.

"Pickles with mayo" Gabriella said.

Troy cringed. He kissed Gabriella's temple softly.

"Maybe this kid is part Chad too" Troy said.

Gabriella giggled.

"Let me eat my food in peace. Your child is the one that is craving it" Gabriella said.

"Fine" Troy said holding up his hands and surrendering.

Troy left the room and let Gabriella eat her food in peace. The couple were getting close to having their baby in their arms and they couldn't wait.


	10. I Don't Want To Lose What We Have

That night, Gabriella had gone to bed early. She was worn out. Troy had one last thing to build for the baby's room. It was a gift from him. He had found a rocking chair that matched the color of the crib and thought it would be perfect for the baby's room. Troy built the rocking chair and placed it next to the crib. He smiled.

"A month and a half left" Troy said.

Troy shut the light off and walked into the bedroom. He got ready for bed and climbed into bed. Gabriella opened her eyes slowly.

"Hey pretty girl, go back to sleep" Troy said.

"Where did you go?" Gabriella asked.

"I forgot that I had one last thing to build in the baby's room so I did it really quick" Troy said.

"You couldn't wait until the morning?" Gabriella asked.

"I just wanted to get it done so that we did not have to think about it anymore" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded but then looked at Troy.

"Everything I ordered was built already. What else did you have to build?" Gabriella asked.

Troy smiled.

"I can show you tomorrow" Troy said.

"But now I will be thinking about it all night" Gabriella said sitting up.

Troy didn't want to argue with Gabriella.

"Do you want to see it?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded and placed her hand on her bump.

"Please, Troy?" Gabriella whined.

"Okay" Troy said.

The couple got out of bed and walked down the hall to the baby's room. He stopped in front of the door and looked at Gabriella.

"This is a present from me to you and the baby" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled. Troy opened the door and turned on the light. Gabriella walked into the room and saw the rocking chair. She looked at Troy.

"It's perfect. Thank you baby" Gabriella said.

"And it adjusts. So, if you are feeding the baby and you want to lay back, you can" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled. She walked over to Troy and kissed his lips softly. Troy pulled away and leaned his forehead against hers.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

"I love you too sweetheart. Now, all that is left to put in here is a baby" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. She looked down at her bump. Troy placed his hand on Gabriella's stomach and felt the baby kick.

"Now that you have seen it, let's get you back to bed" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy took Gabriella's hand in his and the couple shut the light off and closed the door. They walked back to their bedroom and got back into bed. Gabriella placed her head on Troy's chest.

"A month and a half left of just you and me" Troy said.

Gabriella wrapped her arms around Troy.

"Do you think that we will be different once the baby comes?" Gabriella asked.

"What do you mean?" Troy asked.

"Like is our relationship going to be the same?" Gabriella asked.

"I think that there will be a lot going on. But our marriage will always be the same. I love you so much, Brie. I hope you know that" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded against Troy. Troy placed his hand on Gabriella's back and gently started to massage it.

"I do. I just think about how you would be doing your work trips, I will be doing work everywhere, the baby will need constant attention, and I just don't want to lose what we have" Gabriella said.

Troy kissed Gabriella's head softly.

"Brie" Troy said.

Gabriella got off Troy and turned over so that she wasn't facing him. She silently started crying. Troy snaked his arms around Gabriella.

"Brie" Troy repeated.

Gabriella sniffled.

"It's a stupid thing to think of" Gabriella said softly.

"No, it's not, babe. You and I will never lose what we have. Yeah, our priorities will be different because we will have a baby. But, our feelings for each other won't change. We will work on the work thing when the time comes. Can you look at me, please?" Troy asked.

Gabriella slowly turned over and faced Troy.

"I love you" Troy said.

"I love you too" Gabriella said as tears ran down her face.

"Don't worry" Troy said wiping a tear away from Gabriella's face.

Gabriella nodded.

"Go back to sleep, okay?" Troy said.

Gabriella leaned in and kissed Troy's lips.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

"I love you too" Troy said.

Troy kissed Gabriella's lips one last time. The couple fell asleep thinking about the future. The next couple weeks felt like years. Gabriella was eight months pregnant. She was moody, having a lot of muscle pain, and just miserable. Gabriella's body also became very swollen. Her face and body were so swollen, and she would become very emotional when Troy would tell her that he loved her because she couldn't believe that he could still love her when she looked the way she did. One day, Gabriella was lying on the couch in the living room when Troy came out of his office. He walked over to Gabriella and sat down next to her.

"Can I get you anything, baby?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shook her head. Troy smiled. He placed his hand on Gabriella's thigh.

"You feel okay?" Troy asked.

"Everything hurts" Gabriella mumbled.

"Can I do anything to help?" Troy asked.

Gabriella looked at Troy and shook her head. She put her hand on top of Troy's.

"Okay. Let me know if you need anything" Troy said standing up and leaning over and kissing Gabriella's cheek.

Troy was about to walk out of the room when Gabriella called his name.

"Troy?" Gabriella called.

Troy looked at Gabriella.

"I'm sorry that I've been acting like a jerk lately. I love you and I appreciate everything that you are doing" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"If I had a big bowling ball pressing on everything and making me feel sick, I would be a jerk too. I can't imagine what that feels like and I wish that I could take that feeling away from you. I love you too" Troy said.

Gabriella motioned for Troy to come close to her. He sat in his previous spot. Gabriella sat up and leaned in as far as she could. Troy filled in the gap. Gabriella kissed Troy's lips softly. Troy pulled back. Gabriella ran her hand through Troy's hair and held his cheek in her hand.

"You are doing a really great job taking care of me, baby" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled slightly.

"Thanks. I'm trying" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I know" Gabriella said.

Gabriella kissed Troy's lips again. Troy pulled away and smiled.

"I have to jump in on a phone meeting in a little bit and then I will be free for the rest of the day" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Troy got up and went back to his office. The phone rang.

"Hello?" Gabriella answered the phone.

"Hi honey, how are you feeling?" Lucille asked.

"Really achy, Lucille" Gabriella said.

"I remember that feeling at the end. It will be over before you know it" Lucille said.

"I know. It just feels like forever until then" Gabriella said.

Lucille giggled.

"How are you and Troy doing?" Lucille asked.

"We are fine. Troy has been working from home" Gabriella said getting up and walking towards Troy's office.

Once Gabriella got to Troy's office, Troy looked up and smiled. Gabriella mouthed that his mother was on the phone. Troy nodded.

"Are you getting excited?" Lucille asked.

"Yeah, but also nervous" Gabriella said.

Troy figured out what his mother was asking Gabriella. Gabriella wrapped up the phone call and hung up. She looked at Troy.

"She wanted to know how everything was going" Gabriella said.

"Oh okay" Troy said.

"She didn't know that you had been working from home" Gabriella said.

"I didn't tell a lot of people about it. It's our business" Troy said.

"Yeah" Gabriella said putting her hand on her bump.

Gabriella closed her eyes and opened them.

"Hey, you okay?" Troy asked.

"I think that the baby kicked too hard" Gabriella said rubbing small circles on her bump.

"Is it painful?" Troy asked.

"I just feel tight" Gabriella said.

"Have you felt that before?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shook her head.

"Do you want to call- "Troy started.

"It could be nothing" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"If it happens again, maybe we should call Dr. A and see what's going on" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Ten minutes later, Gabriella was lying on the couch in Troy's office as Troy worked on his computer. She sat up and put her hand on her bump.

"Troy?" Gabriella said.

Troy looked up.

"Do you feel it again?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded nervously.

"Let's call Dr. A and see what she says" Troy said.

Gabriella called her doctor and explained what was happening. Dr. A told the couple that what Gabriella was feeling was false labor contractions. The couple were relieved that it was not anything serious. They hung up the phone.

"So, this just means the baby is coming soon" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"It was just scary to have these" Gabriella said.

"But at least we know what these are now" Troy said.

"Yeah" Gabriella said.

A couple weeks later Gabriella was eight and a half months pregnant. She had convinced Troy to go to La Cruces to see how his business was doing over there. Gabriella promised Troy that she would call him if anything happened. Troy put his suitcase in his car and looked at Gabriella.

"If you feel any contractions, call me. I will come home, Brie" Troy said putting his hands on Gabriella's face.

"Nothing is going to happen" Gabriella said.

Troy looked at Chad, who was standing at the front door. Chad would be looking after Gabriella while Troy was gone.

"Take care of my girl, Chad" Troy said.

Chad smiled.

"Always" Chad said.

Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips.

"I love you so much" Troy said.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

"I'll call you when I get there" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Troy got into the car and drove away. The next day, Gabriella was in the kitchen making herself a bowl of fruit. She was cutting her fruit up when she felt a contraction. Gabriella dropped her knife onto the counter. She tried to breathe through it. Tears ran down her cheeks. Gabriella hadn't felt a contraction like that, and she started shaking. She picked up the phone and called Chad.

"Chad, I think something is happening" Gabriella cried.

Chad told Gabriella that he would be over as fast as he could. Once Chad got to the house he unlocked the door with his spare key.

"Gabs?" Chad called.

"Living room" Gabriella said.

Chad walked into the living room.

"What's happening?" Chad asked.

"I felt a really strong contraction and I didn't know if it was real or not. It was so painful, and I got scared" Gabriella said talking really fast.

"Hey, hey. Breathe, Gabriella. It's okay. I'm here" Chad said.

Gabriella took a deep breath and released it.

"Now, you said that you've never felt one that strong before" Chad recited back to her.

Gabriella nodded.

"Okay. We need to call Troy" Chad said.

Gabriella nodded. Chad dialed Troy's number.

"Chad, what's wrong?" Troy answered.

"You are on speaker" Chad said.

"Brie?" Troy called.

"I had a really strong contraction. I was home alone, and I got scared so I called Chad and he came over" Gabriella said.

"How do you feel now, sweetheart?" Troy asked.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

"I'm going to come home right after my meeting today, okay?" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

"Keep me updated if anything else happens" Troy said.

"I will" Gabriella said.

"Brie?" Troy called.

"Yes?" Gabriella asked.

"I love you, baby. Everything is going to be fine" Troy said.

"I love you too. I just want you to come home" Gabriella said getting emotional.

"I know. I'll be there soon" Troy said.

The couple hung up.

"Thanks for coming over, Chad" Gabriella said.

"No problem, Gabi. Do you want me to stay until Troy gets here?" Chad asked.

"Yeah. Just in case" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Chad said.

A few hours later, it was ten PM. Troy unlocked the door and walked into the house. Chad was sitting in the living room watching television.

"Hey. Thank you for staying here, Chad" Troy said.

"No problem. She is upstairs sleeping. She went up about an hour ago" Chad said.

"Okay. Did she have any more?" Troy asked.

Chad shook his head.

"Okay" Troy said.

Troy walked Chad out. He then walked upstairs and saw that the lights were off in the bedroom. Troy turned on the light that was on his bedside table. He walked to Gabriella's side of the bed and sat on the edge. Troy kissed Gabriella's head softly. Gabriella opened her eyes and saw Troy and tears filled her eyes.

"Hey baby. How are you feeling?" Troy asked.

"I am glad you are home" Gabriella said.

"Me too" Troy said placing his hand on Gabriella's expanding stomach.

Gabriella sat up in bed.

"I feel bad that I left you here and this happened" Troy said.

"You couldn't have predicted it and you needed to work" Gabriella said.

"But I shouldn't have left you period" Troy said.

"At least you are home now" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded. Gabriella leaned in and kissed Troy's lips.

"I'm going to take a shower really quick and then I will come to bed" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy got his clothes together and went into the bathroom and took a shower. Twenty minutes later, Troy walked out of the bathroom and got into bed. Gabriella snuggled into Troy's chest and took a deep breath and released it. Troy started to massage Gabriella's back. He heard her moan and smiled.

"Is your back hurting?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded. Troy continued to massage Gabriella's back. Gabriella wrapped her arms around Troy and placed her head on his chest. Troy kissed Gabriella's head softly.

"Sorry that I ruined your trip" Gabriella said.

"You didn't ruin it. I was planning to come home after my meeting anyway. I wanted to be here with you especially now that you are so close to your due date" Troy said.

"We need to figure out a name for the baby" Gabriella said.

"Yeah. But we can do that sometime this week" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I'm glad you called Chad and told him what was going on" Troy said.

"That's what we planned to do" Gabriella said.

"Yeah, but I didn't think anything would actually happen" Troy said.

"True" Gabriella said.

"Go back to sleep, baby. We can talk more tomorrow" Troy said.

"Do you have phone meetings tomorrow?" Gabriella asked.

Troy shook his head.

"No. Just you and me tomorrow, okay?" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I love you Troy" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"I love you too" Troy said.

Gabriella kissed his lips softly. Troy pulled back and Gabriella snuggled as close as she could into him.

"Go to sleep. Wake me up if you need me" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. The couple fell asleep. The next morning, Gabriella woke up and saw that Troy was sitting up in bed looking at his phone. Troy looked at Gabriella and smiled.

"Hey sleepyhead" Troy said.

Gabriella moaned. Troy chuckled.

"What do you want to do today, baby?" Troy asked.

"Not have any contractions" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"I think that may be out of my range of power. But I was thinking since your back was hurting last night, I could bring the laptop up here and we could have a lazy day in bed and watch movies. What do you think?" Troy asked.

"I think it's a good idea" Gabriella said still waking up.

Troy smiled. He leaned down and kissed Gabriella's forehead. Gabriella moaned in disappointment.

"What?" Troy asked.

Gabriella pulled Troy closer to her and kissed his lips properly.

"Don't deprive a pregnant woman" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled and kissed Gabriella's lips again.

"Better?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"I will go get the laptop. You get comfy and I'll be right back" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Gabriella sat up in bed and folded her hands on top of her bump. Troy left the room and went downstairs. A few minutes later, Troy brought his laptop and some of Gabriella's favorite pregnancy craving snacks into the bedroom. He placed his laptop on the bed and handed Gabriella her snacks. Troy hooked up his laptop to the television that was in their bedroom. He and Gabriella then picked a movie. Troy got back into bed and Gabriella snuggled into Troy's chest. The couple watched their movie. Troy was happy that he and Gabriella could spend some quality time together before the baby came.

That afternoon, Gabriella was taking a nap. Troy was working on some paperwork in his office. The doorbell rang. Troy walked to the front door and opened it.

"Hey man" Troy said shaking Chad's hand.

"Hey, how's Gabi doing?" Chad asked.

"She's doing alright. She was pretty shaken up last night" Troy said.

"I did what I thought was right" Chad said.

Troy nodded.

"I know. You don't have to defend what you did. You did the right thing by calling me" Troy said.

The two men walked into the house and went into the living room.

"Brie is upstairs taking a nap" Troy said answering his question.

Chad nodded.

"Did she talk to you about anything?" Chad asked.

"She thought that she ruined my trip when I came home" Troy said.

Chad shook his head.

"She was glad that I was home" Troy said.

Chad smiled.

"You guys are in the homestretch. How are you feeling about all that?" Chad asked.

"I don't know at this point. I think that when she goes into labor my instincts will kick in. But at the same time, I don't know" Troy said.

Chad nodded. The two men heard noises coming from the stairs.

"I think Gabs is awake" Troy said.

Gabriella walked into the living room and saw the two men talking.

"Hey baby, how was your nap?" Troy asked.

"Good. Hi Chad" Gabriella said.

Troy made room for Gabriella on the couch.

"How are you feeling today, Gabs?" Chad asked.

"Better. I think that last night really scared me" Gabriella said.

The two men nodded.

"If Troy is not home for some reason, Gabs, you can always call me. I'll come over and hang out here until you can get a hold of Troy" Chad said.

Troy and Gabriella smiled. Gabriella leaned her head on Troy's shoulder and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Thanks Chad and thanks for coming last night" Gabriella said.

"No problem. I kind of knew what was happening. But I wanted to make sure if I was wrong, that Troy was here" Chad said.

The couple nodded. The couple and Chad talked for a little while longer. Once Chad left, the couple went back upstairs and continued watching movies.


	11. This Is Not Your Fault

During the last few days, Gabriella had more contractions. She was worried because she wasn't due for three more weeks. Dr. A scheduled an appointment for her to come in and get checked out. That morning, Gabriella walked downstairs and smiled when she saw Troy in the kitchen drinking a cup of coffee.

"Morning baby" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Good morning. You are in a good mood" Troy said.

"I feel ready today" Gabriella said.

"Ready for what?" Troy asked.

"I feel ready for the next three weeks and whatever that brings" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Everything is going to go smoothly. We worked it out. We just need to confirm with Dr. A today" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Can we figure out names today?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah" Troy said.

"Okay. I'm going to take a shower and then we can go" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Troy said.

Gabriella walked upstairs. Troy smiled. He was so proud of his wife. The last days had been really hard. It tested Gabriella physically but also their marriage too. Gabriella was so tired of having contractions that she was just angry. Troy let her be angry. He knew that once the anger passed, she would calm down and everything would go back to normal. Twenty minutes later, Gabriella came downstairs.

"Ready to go?" Troy asked.

"Yeah" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Troy said.

The couple left the house. Troy drove to Dr. A's office and parked his car. He got out of the car and helped Gabriella get out of the car. The couple walked into the office. Gabriella checked-in and sat next to Troy. She leaned over and kissed Troy's cheek softly. Troy looked at Gabriella.

"What was that for?" Troy asked.

"For having to deal with my rage the last few days" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"I'm sorry, Troy" Gabriella said.

"You're uncomfortable. It would make me angry too. Don't apologize" Troy said.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips.

"I love you too. I'm sorry that you are uncomfortable, babe. I wish I could help take that feeling away" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Gabriella's name was called. The couple stood up and followed the nurse into a room where Gabriella's vitals were taken. They then were escorted to an exam room. Gabriella changed into a gown and sat on the exam table. She took a deep breath and released it. Troy put his hand on top of Gabriella's.

"You nervous about something?" Troy asked.

"I'm not due for three more weeks. If the baby comes early, will it be okay?" Gabriella asked.

"That's something that we need to ask" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. There was a knock on the door and Dr. A came into the room.

"Hi guys, how is everything?" Dr. A asked.

"Really uncomfortable" Gabriella said.

"You are three weeks away. It's common. Is there anything going on that I need to know about?" Dr. A asked.

"I've been having a lot of contractions and it started to worry me because I have three weeks left until the baby is supposed to come" Gabriella said placing her hand on her bump.

Dr. A nodded.

"When I do my exam, I will check you out and assess the situation" Dr. A said.

The couple nodded. Dr. A did an ultrasound and saw that the baby was healthy and doing well. She then examined Gabriella and found everything to be healthy.

"I think that because this is your first baby, there is a lot of excitement and anxiety about certain things happening. I want you to fully relax and see what happens to those contractions" Dr. A said.

The couple nodded.

"There has been a lot of stress" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

Dr. A smiled. Gabriella sat up. Dr. A handed Troy the sonogram and left the room. Troy looked at Gabriella.

"Let's get you home" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. She changed back into her clothes and the couple left the office. Troy helped Gabriella get into the car. He then walked to the driver's side and got in. Troy started the car and pulled out of the parking lot.

"Why are you upset?" Gabriella asked.

Troy looked at Gabriella.

"I'm upset because I'm the one that is creating the anxiety for you" Troy said.

"Troy, you aren't" Gabriella said.

"I am. At the beginning, you were traveling with me. You shouldn't have been. You should have been home relaxing. I'm responsible for that" Troy said.

"We didn't know what we were doing, Troy. We thought that was safer than staying at home" Gabriella said.

Troy took a deep breath and released it. Gabriella put her hand on top of Troy's.

"I'm going to drop you off at home and then I am going to go see my dad" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. The couple arrived at home. Troy got out of the car and helped Gabriella get out. Gabriella looked at her husband. She walked closer to him and wrapped her arms around him.

"This is not your fault, baby. Things just happen" Gabriella said.

"It feels like it is" Troy said.

Gabriella leaned in and kissed Troy's lips softly. Troy pulled back slowly. He smoothed Gabriella's hair back. Troy held Gabriella's cheek in his hand and Gabriella covered it with her own.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

"I love you too. I'll be back soon, okay?" Troy said softly.

Gabriella nodded. Troy kissed Gabriella's lips again. He then let her go and got into his truck. Gabriella walked to the front door of the house and went inside. Several hours went by and Troy hadn't returned home. It was now eleven-thirty PM. Gabriella was pacing in the living room with her phone in her hand. The phone rang. Gabriella picked up the phone and didn't look at the caller ID.

"Troy?" Gabriella answered.

"Gabs, it's Chad" Chad said.

"What happened, Chad? Where's Troy?" Gabriella asked.

"He's okay. Troy's just trying to figure himself out right now" Chad said.

"What does that mean? What happened, Chad?" Gabriella asked again.

"He went over to his parents house. But, once he got there, he got really emotional. Coach said he hasn't seen Troy that emotional in a long time. Coach then called me over there to try and get him to calm down. But, there is a lot going through his head" Chad said.

"Do I need to go over there?" Gabriella asked placing her hand on her bump.

"No. That's one thing that coach said not to do. He didn't want you to be more stressed out. He just told me to call you and let you know what's going on" Chad said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

"He's safe, Gabi. Don't worry. If you want, I can come pick you up and you can stay with us for the night" Chad said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

"Alright. I'll be there in twenty minutes" Chad said.

Chad and Gabriella hung up the phone.

"Damn it, Troy" Gabriella said to herself.

Twenty minutes later, Gabriella packed a bag and was waiting for Chad to pick her up. There was a knock at the door and Gabriella opened it.

"You ready?" Chad asked.

"Yeah" Gabriella said.

Chad took the bag from Gabriella and they walked to Chad's car. Chad placed Gabriella's bag in the backseat. He helped Gabriella get into the car. Chad then got into the driver's seat and started driving home.

"He's going to be okay, Gabriella. I went through a similar thing before Eli was born. He is just trying to figure himself out" Chad said.

"I'm just worried about him" Gabriella said.

"I know. But, he will be okay" Chad said.

Gabriella nodded. Chad and Gabriella arrived at the house. They walked into the house. Taylor hugged her best friend.

"How are you feeling, Gabi?" Taylor asked.

"Exhausted. I think I'm going to go to bed" Gabriella said.

"Okay honey. Let us know if you need anything" Taylor said.

"Thanks, Tay" Gabriella said.

Gabriella walked to the guest room that she knew so well. She changed into her pajamas and got into bed and fell asleep. The next morning, Gabriella woke up late. She looked at her phone and saw that it was eleven AM. Gabriella got dressed and walked out of the room to the kitchen.

"Morning sleepyhead" Taylor said.

"Morning, Tay" Gabriella said.

"I heard from Troy, Gabs" Chad said.

"What did he say?" Gabriella asked.

"He wanted me to tell you that he is okay. He just needs some time to process some stuff. He told me to tell you that he's sorry" Chad said.

Gabriella nodded. That afternoon, Chad drove Gabriella to the Bolton home. Troy had cooled off and wanted to see her.

"Do you want me to go in with you?" Chad asked.

"No. But thanks Chad for letting me stay over" Gabriella said.

Chad smiled.

"Any time, Gabs" Chad said.

Gabriella got out of the car and took her bag with her. She walked to the front door and took a deep breath. Gabriella rang the doorbell. Jack answered the door and smiled.

"Gabi" Jack said.

"Hi dad. How is he?" Gabriella asked.

"He's calmer. He's sitting by the pool if you want to go see him" Jack said.

Gabriella nodded. Jack and Gabriella walked into the house. Gabriella set her bag down. She walked outside to the backyard and saw Troy sitting on a lounge chair. Gabriella carefully walked to the pool and sat on the chair next to his. Troy looked at Gabriella.

"Hi" Troy said softly.

"Hi" Gabriella said softly.

"I'm sorry if I scared you yesterday" Troy said quietly.

Gabriella carefully placed her hand on top of Troy's.

"You could have called me to let me know what was going on, Troy" Gabriella said softly.

Troy nodded.

"I didn't want to stress you out more than you already were" Troy said.

"I was more stressed out not knowing where you were or if you were okay" Gabriella said.

Troy looked down.

"Troy, look at me" Gabriella said.

Troy looked at his nine-month pregnant wife. Gabriella placed her hands on both sides of Troy's face.

"I don't want you to blame yourself for the anxiety stuff, okay? Listen to me when I say that" Gabriella said.

"As your husband, it is my job to take care of you. I promised you that when I married you. I felt like I failed you when Dr. A said that there may be a lot of anxiety that is causing the contractions. I could have prevented that for you" Troy said honestly.

"But babe, no one is perfect. Things happen. This is our first baby. There is a lot of anxiety and excitement that goes a long with that. You working at all of the branches may not be the thing that started this" Gabriella said.

Troy looked down at Gabriella's bump. Gabriella took his hand and placed it on her bump. Troy smiled slightly when he felt the baby kick his hand.

"We have three weeks until this baby comes, Troy. Our first baby. We have dreamed about this for years and I want experience the last few weeks together with you" Gabriella said.

Troy had a lump in his throat. He nodded. Gabriella pulled him in, and Troy wrapped his arms around her.

"I love you, Troy. So much" Gabriella said.

"I love you too" Troy said.

The couple sat like that for a couple minutes.

"Let's go home" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled and nodded. Troy stood up and helped Gabriella stand up. The couple went into the house and then left Troy's parents house. Two weeks later, Gabriella's due date was a week away. Her hospital bag was packed. The house was ready. One afternoon, Gabriella had started to feel contractions. But they felt different. Troy and Gabriella were in the living room timing them to see if they were consistent.

"What if this is it?" Gabriella asked.

"Then we will have a baby soon" Troy said.

"I'm nervous" Gabriella said.

"I know. But, I'm here. Our mothers will be at the hospital. It's going to be okay, baby" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded but then cringed.

"Troy, here comes another one" Gabriella said.

Troy started timing the contraction. Gabriella started breathing through the contraction. She reached for Troy's hand. Troy took Gabriella's hand. Once it was over, Gabriella relaxed.

"You okay?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded. She put her hand on her bump. Several hours and contractions later, it was ten PM. Gabriella's contractions had moved closer together and it was starting to become unbearable.

"Troy, just take me in please" Gabriella cried.

Troy smoothed Gabriella's sweaty hair back.

"Soon baby. They have to get closer together. I know it hurts, but you are doing great" Troy said.

A half hour later, Troy had called Dr. A and explained what was going on. She told Troy to bring Gabriella in. Troy helped Gabriella get into the car. He then ran upstairs and brought Gabriella's hospital bag down to the car. Troy started driving to the hospital. As Troy drove, Gabriella cried and moaned in pain from the contractions. Troy tried to comfort her as best as he could.

"It hurts so bad, Troy" Gabriella cried.

"I know, baby. Just keep breathing. We are almost there. Your mom is going to meet us at the hospital" Troy said.

Troy drove into the hospital parking lot. He got out and helped Gabriella get out. Troy spotted Gabriella's mother walking towards them.

"Troy. Oh my god. My water broke" Gabriella cried as she looked down to her wet leggings.

"Okay. We are going to get you inside" Troy said.

The couple and Maria went into the hospital. They were escorted into a hospital room. The nurse placed a monitor on Gabriella's bump to see how the baby was doing. Troy sat next to Gabriella's hospital bed. Gabriella's hand was shaking. He picked it up and held it in his warm hand. Gabriella groaned. Troy smoothed Gabriella's hair back and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"Breathe baby" Troy said.

Gabriella breathed through the contraction and then closed her eyes.

"That's it" Troy said softly.

This continued for three more hours until Dr. A came into the hospital room.

"Hi Gabi, how are you feeling?" Dr. A asked.

"So much pain" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled sympathetically.

"I want to check to see where we are, okay?" Dr. A said.

Maria kissed her daughter's head and left the room so that Dr. A could do her exam. Dr. A carefully separated Gabriella's legs.

"Gabi, take a deep breath for me" Dr. A said.

Gabriella took a deep breath in and released it. Dr. A conducted her exam and looked up.

"You are at a three, Gabi" Dr. A said.

Gabriella nodded.

"How much does she have left?" Troy asked.

"She has to get to ten" Dr. A said.

Troy nodded. Gabriella cried out in pain. She gripped Troy's hand.

"Breathe, Gabi. Nice, deep breaths" Dr. A said.

Gabriella breathed through the contraction and closed her eyes again.

"Okay. I'll be back in a little bit to check on you" Dr. A said covering Gabriella's legs with a blanket.

The couple nodded. Dr. A left the room. A couple minutes later, Maria came back into the room.

"How are we doing?" Maria asked.

"She's at a three" Troy answered for Gabriella.

Maria nodded. Hours passed and Gabriella's pain increased. Gabriella was currently standing and holding onto Troy. Troy swayed a little with Gabriella in his arms. He kissed her head softly.

"You are doing so well, Brie. I am so proud of you, baby" Troy whispered into her ear.

"It hurts so bad" Gabriella said.

"I know. But, you are going through it like a champ" Troy said.

Gabriella closed her eyes and felt Troy's swaying movements as she laid her head on his chest. There was a knock on the door and Maria went to open it. The door opened and Lucille appeared. Maria and Lucille both walked into the room. Lucille walked over to Troy and kissed his cheek. She then placed her hand on Gabriella's back and kissed her head.

"How is it going?" Lucille asked.

"She's in a lot of pain. But, now that she is standing the pain doesn't seem as bad, right Brie?" Troy said.

"I would pay money for you to feel what I feel" Gabriella said.

Maria and Lucille laughed.

"She doesn't mean that, Troy. She's exhausted and in a lot of pain" Maria said.

Troy nodded.

"But, do you feel better standing, baby?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"You make me feel better" Gabriella said.

The two mothers smiled. Troy kissed Gabriella's shoulder.

"I love you" Troy said.

"I love you too. Another one is coming" Gabriella said as she gripped Troy's shirt in her hands.

"Okay. Breathe" Troy coached.

Gabriella took deep breaths and breathed through the contraction. A couple more hours passed, Gabriella had been in labor for twelve hours. She was currently halfway and asked for her epidural so that she could sleep. Once the epidural was in and taking effect, Gabriella closed her eyes. She was still holding onto Troy's hand. Troy sat next to her. He kissed Gabriella's cheek softly then her bump.

"Whoever you are, your mom and I are so excited to meet you soon" Troy said to Gabriella's stomach.

Two hours later, Gabriella woke up and saw Troy sitting next to her and still holding her hand. Troy looked at Gabriella and smiled.

"Hey sleepyhead, how are you feeling?" Troy asked.

"I feel better now that I got to sleep a little bit" Gabriella said softly.

"Good" Troy said.

"Did Dr. A come back in?" Gabriella asked.

"Not yet, baby. She will soon" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips.

"I love you, Brie" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

"Still nervous?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded. Troy smiled.

"Me too" Troy said.

Gabriella turned onto her side and looked at Troy.

"Do you feel any pain?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shook her head.

"Just pressure" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"Our mothers are in the waiting room. Do you want me to go get them?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shook her head.

"Just you and me" Gabriella said holding onto his hand.

Troy smiled.

"Okay" Troy said.

There was a knock on the door. Dr. A came into the room.

"Hi guys. How are you feeling, Gabi?" Dr. A asked.

"Better. But, I feel pressure" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Dr. A said.

Dr. A checked Gabriella's progress and smiled.

"Six" Dr. A said.

"Only one?" Gabriella asked.

"It's your first baby. It's going to go slow" Dr. A said.

Gabriella groaned. Troy thanked Dr. A. Dr. A left the room. The couple was so close to their baby. It was only a matter of hours until they get to meet him or her.


	12. The First Taste of Parenthood

Five hours later, Gabriella was sleeping. She finally allowed herself to fully relax. Troy had gone for a walk around the floor just to move from the spot that he had been sitting the past seventeen hours. Troy was about to go back to Gabriella's hospital room when he saw his dad. He walked out to the waiting room. Jack stood up and walked towards Troy and hugged him.

"How's she doing?" Jack asked.

"She's almost there. She's at an eight" Troy said.

"It won't be long. How are you holding up?" Jack asked.

"I'm starting to get nervous again" Troy said.

Jack rubbed Troy's shoulder with his hand.

"Everything will be okay. All you can do is support her" Jack said.

Troy nodded.

"I should get back to the room before she wakes up" Troy said.

"Okay. Update us when you can" Jack said.

Troy nodded. He walked back to Gabriella's hospital room and smiled when he saw Gabriella awake.

"Hey pretty girl. How are you feeling?" Troy asked.

"I want it out, Troy" Gabriella cried tiredly.

"I know, sweetheart. Just a little longer" Troy said kissing her head softly.

"Where did you go?" Gabriella asked.

"I went for a walk. As I was walking, I saw my dad in the waiting room so I gave him an update" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Dr. A came into the room and smiled.

"Let me check and see where we are at, okay? You've been a real trooper, Gabi" Dr. A said.

Troy smiled. Dr. A put on a pair of gloves and sat on the edge of the bed. She moved Gabriella's blankets aside.

"Gabriella, take a deep breath for me" Dr. A said.

Gabriella took a deep breath. Dr. A conducted her exam and looked at the couple.

"You are ready to go" Dr. A said.

"Really?" Gabriella asked.

Dr. A nodded.

"I'm going to go get my nurses and some equipment and I will be back" Dr. A said.

The couple nodded. Dr. A left the room. Troy looked at Gabriella.

"Excited?" Troy asked.

"Yeah and nervous" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"You got this. You are going to give birth to our baby today, Brie" Troy said.

Gabriella giggled at how excited Troy looked. She closed her eyes and groaned.

"What?" Troy asked worriedly.

"Pressure" Gabriella mumbled.

"Okay. Just breathe" Troy said.

Gabriella breathed through it. Ten minutes later, two nurses had come into the room along with Dr. A. Dr. A positioned Gabriella and gave her instructions of what was going to happen. As a contraction came, Gabriella started pushing. Two hours later, Dr. A announced that the baby's head was out.

"One more push and you will get to meet your baby" Dr. A said.

"Just one more push, Brie" Troy said.

"I can't. I can't" Gabriella said shakily.

Troy looked at Gabriella.

"Yes, you can. I know you can. Just one more until our baby is here, babe. We have waited for this for so long" Troy said.

Troy's words helped build Gabriella's strength back up. She pushed and screamed as she felt the baby leave her body. Dr. A placed the baby onto Gabriella's chest.

"It's a boy!" Dr. A said.

Gabriella started crying. She looked over at Troy and saw that he was also crying. Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips.

"I love you, Brie. You did it!" Troy cried.

"I love you too, Troy. I couldn't have done this without you" Gabriella said.

Troy looked at his newborn son. He couldn't believe that he could now say that he had a son. An hour an a half later, Gabriella was freshly showered. She watched Troy hold their son as she got back into the now clean hospital bed with the help of the nurse.

"You look pretty cute as a dad" Gabriella said.

Troy looked at Gabriella and smiled.

"I just can't believe we have a son" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"Do we have a name for him?" Gabriella asked.

Troy looked at Gabriella incredulously.

"What?" Troy asked.

"Just not Lebron or Michael Jordan or anything weird like that" Gabriella said.

"Wait. Hold on. You want me to name him?" Troy asked.

"He's your son, Troy. I want you to name him" Gabriella said.

Troy took a deep breath and released it. He sat there in silence for a couple moments and looked up at Gabriella.

"Got one" Troy said.

"Okay, can I hear it?" Gabriella asked.

"Robert Troy Bolton. But, we can call him Rob or Robbie for short" Troy said.

Gabriella started to cry. Troy had chosen her father's name for their son.

"Okay. Now that you aren't pregnant anymore. I don't know why you are crying" Troy joked.

"Come here" Gabriella said.

Troy came closer to Gabriella. Gabriella leaned in and kissed Troy's lips.

"I love it and I love you" Gabriella said tearfully.

Troy smiled.

"Robert Troy Bolton it is. Do we want to tell the waiting room gang?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded. She opened her arms so that Troy could put Robert into her arms. Troy kissed both Gabriella and Robert's heads and left the room. Troy walked down the hall to the waiting room. He opened the door. Everyone stood up. Jack, Lucille, Maria, and Chad.

"I would like to announce that Robert Troy Bolton was born an hour and a half ago. Mom and baby are completely healthy. Robert is already stealing his mom's and my heart" Troy said.

The family and friends cheered.

"Can we go back and visit?" Maria and Lucille both asked.

"Let me check with Brie" Troy said.

Troy walked back to the hospital room and poked his head in.

"Are you up for some visitors?" Troy asked.

"Sure" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Troy said.

Troy left the room and walked back to the waiting room.

"She said that it is okay" Troy said.

The Bolton Family, Maria, and Chad followed Troy down the hall to Gabriella's hospital room. They walked into the room. Both Maria and Lucille started crying.

"He's beautiful" Maria said.

Gabriella smiled. She kissed Robert's head softly.

"How are you feeling, honey?" Lucille asked.

"Tired but so happy that he's here. We have a son" Gabriella said excitedly.

Troy chuckled. It would take a while for it to set in that he and Gabriella have a son.

"Can grandma hold him?" Maria asked.

"Since there are two grandmas, I think we should let Grandpa Jack get the first hold" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. Jack walked closer to the hospital bed. Gabriella carefully placed her son into Jack's arms.

"Hi champ. Your dad, Uncle Chad, and I are going to teach you everything you need to know about basketball. Maybe one day you will be a back to back champion like your dad and uncle were" Jack said.

The couple smiled. Jack passed Robert to Lucille. Lucille looked at her grandson and kissed his forehead.

"He has Gabi's dark hair" Lucille said as she kissed Robert's head.

Lucille passed Robert to Maria. Maria looked at Robert.

"Your mommy's daddy's name was Robert. He meant so much to us. I love you, Robert" Maria said.

Gabriella wiped a tear away. Troy noticed and rubbed her back. Maria kissed Robert's head softly. She then placed him into Chad's arms.

"Hey little dude. Your cousin Eli is so excited that you are here. Like your grandpa said, he, your dad, and I are going to teach you everything you need to know about basketball and how to be back to back champions like we were back in the day. You have the most amazing parents who love you so much" Chad said.

Troy smiled. Chad placed Robert into Gabriella's arms. Everyone talked to the couple for a little while until they decided to give the couple and their newborn son some space to be alone. Once everyone was gone, Troy looked at Gabriella.

"How are you feeling?" Troy asked.

"Fine. I am just exhausted" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"How about I bring Rob back to the nursery and we can get some sleep?" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. She leaned down and kissed her son's head softly.

"I love you baby. I am so happy you are here with your daddy and I" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. Gabriella carefully placed the newborn into Troy's arms. Troy then placed Robert into the bassinet.

"I'll be right back" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. A couple days later, Gabriella was discharged from the hospital. The little family went home. Once they got home, Gabriella got Robert settled. She then carried him into the nursery and sat down in the rocking chair. Gabriella pulled down her shirt and brought Rob up to her breast and watched him latch on. Troy knocked on the open door. Gabriella looked up and smiled.

"How's he doing?" Troy asked.

"Good. You can come closer, babe" Gabriella said.

"I know. This is just new" Troy said as he watched Gabriella feed their newborn son.

Gabriella smiled.

"It's nothing that you haven't seen before" Gabriella said.

Troy turned dark red.

"I know. Does it hurt?" Troy asked.

Gabriella smiled and shook her head.

"I'm just still a little sore from giving birth. Everything is sensitive right now" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"Are you nervous about something, wildcat?" Gabriella asked.

"No, I just-" Troy started.

"Troy, it's okay" Gabriella said softly.

Troy looked down and put his hand in his pocket.

"It's new and you are getting used to it" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about" Gabriella said.

Rob pulled away from Gabriella.

"Can you take him for a minute? I need to get cleaned up" Gabriella said.

Troy walked over to Gabriella and lifted Rob from her arms. He looked at his son and smiled. Gabriella stood up carefully and walked out of the room. Ten minutes later, Gabriella came back into the room.

"Did you burp him?" Gabriella asked.

"No. Was I supposed to?" Troy asked.

Gabriella smiled softly. She opened her arms and Troy placed Rob into them. Gabriella held their son in her arms and gently patted his back until he burped.

"There we go, baby" Gabriella said softly.

Troy smiled. He loved how Gabriella interacted with their son. Gabriella looked down at her son and saw that his eyes were closing. She carefully placed Rob into his crib and made sure that he wasn't going to cry. Gabriella motioned for Troy to leave the room and she followed. Gabriella placed the baby monitor in her pocket and the couple walked downstairs. Once downstairs, Troy hugged Gabriella.

"Troy?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah?" Troy asked.

"Are you okay?" Gabriella asked.

Troy sighed.

"I just feel like I don't know what to do, Brie" Troy said.

"Troy, our son is only two days old. No one is expecting you to know what to do" Gabriella said.

"But, you are perfect at it" Troy said.

"I had babies everywhere as a kid. All of my cousins were babies and I learned how to take care of them. As time goes on, you will become a pro at this too. Don't judge it based on two days" Gabriella said.

Troy sighed. Gabriella kissed Troy's lips.

"I love you and you are doing a great job" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled slightly.

"You are the one doing all the hard work" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"Yeah, but you have changed diapers" Gabriella said.

"With help. Not on my own" Troy said pointing out his flaws.

Gabriella kissed Troy's lips again. That night, Robert's cries woke Troy up. He saw Gabriella sleeping. He didn't know if his son needed to be fed or not. Troy wanted to show Gabriella that he could take care of Robert on his own. He got up and walked to his son's bedroom and turned on the light. Troy walked over to the crib and carefully lifted the newborn and held him against his chest. He walked over to the diapers and grabbed one in the event that he had to change a diaper. Troy laid Robert down and unbutton his pajamas. The newborn's cries got louder.

"Hey buddy, don't cry. Daddy's here" Troy said.

Troy opened his son's diaper and saw that it needed to be changed. He quickly changed Robert's diaper and put his pajamas back on. Troy then lifted Robert back into his arms.

"We did it! Don't cry buddy" Troy said.

Troy gently bounced Robert in his arms in hopes to calm him down. But it did not work. Troy got an idea. He carried his son over to the rocking chair and sat down. Troy gently rocked the rocking chair back and forth. He started singing to his son.

_Baby mine, don't you cry  
Baby mine, dry your eyes  
Rest your head close to my heart  
Never to part, baby of mine_

_Little one, when you play  
Pay no heed what they say  
Let your eyes sparkle and shine  
Never a tear, baby of mine_

_If they knew all about you  
They'd end up loving you too  
All those same people who scold you  
What they'd give just for the right to hold you_

_From your head down to your toes  
You're not much, goodness knows  
But, you're so precious to me  
Sweet as can be, baby of mine_

Robert's cries stopped. Troy smiled victoriously. He heard a noise and looked up and saw Gabriella standing in the doorway with tears in her eyes.

"You are most definitely perfect at that" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"He wouldn't stop crying. I bounced him around in my arms. I rocked him back and forth a little bit. I tried to see if my singing would work" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled. She walked closer to Troy and kissed his cheek.

"That was beautiful" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Thanks baby. Go back to bed. I got him" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"We'll go together. Put him down in his crib" Gabriella said.

Troy carefully stood up with Robert in his arms. He then walked to the crib and laid his son in it. Troy walked away quietly. Gabriella wrapped her arm around Troy's waist and the couple went back to their bedroom. The couple got back into bed. Gabriella snuggled into Troy's chest and fell back asleep. Troy then fell asleep. A couple hours later, Gabriella woke up to Robert crying. She got up and walked into her son's room. Gabriella lifted him out of his crib. She checked his diaper and saw that it was clean. Gabriella sat down in the rocking chair and pulled down her shirt. She brought Robert closer to her breast and watched him latch on. Five minutes later, Gabriella heard footsteps. She saw Troy in the doorway.

"Everything okay?" Troy asked tiredly.

"He's hungry" Gabriella said looking down at the newborn.

Troy nodded. Gabriella watched Robert eat his meal. She then burped him and placed him back into his crib.

"Good night baby" Gabriella said kissing her son's head.

Gabriella turned around and wrapped her arms around herself.

"I'm going to go get cleaned up" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled slightly and nodded. Gabriella walked down the hall to the bathroom. Troy walked back to the bedroom and got back into bed. Ten minutes later, Gabriella walked out of the bathroom. She got back into bed. Troy knew that Gabriella was going through something. He didn't want to pry and get her upset. Troy wanted to make sure that Gabriella felt beautiful and loved. He moved closer to Gabriella and kissed her cheek softly. Gabriella turned over and faced Troy.

"Can't sleep?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shook her head. Troy turned on his bedside lamp. He then turned to look at Gabriella.

"What's on your mind?" Troy asked.

Gabriella just started crying. Troy's face softened. He wrapped his arms around his wife.

"Brie, talk to me baby" Troy said softly.

"I don't even know why I am crying" Gabriella cried.

"Is it about the baby or something else?" Troy asked.

"It's stupid" Gabriella cried.

"Nothing you say or feel is stupid, Brie" Troy said.

Gabriella sniffled.

"Something is bothering you" Troy said.

Gabriella sighed and looked at her husband.

"I just feel insecure" Gabriella mumbled loud enough for Troy to hear.

"Insecure about what?" You are doing so well with the baby" Troy said.

Gabriella shook her head.

"Not about the baby. About me" Gabriella said.

"What about you?" Troy asked trying to understand.

"I am a mess" Gabriella said.

Troy's face softened.

"What do you mean you are a mess, baby?" Troy asked softly.

"My body" Gabriella said.

Troy watched Gabriella try to cover herself in blankets.

"Brie, you had a baby two days ago. Nothing is going to go back to normal in two days" Troy said.

"I don't feel like I am attractive to you" Gabriella mumbled.

"Babe, look at me" Troy said.

Gabriella looked at Troy with tears in her eyes.

"You are so beautiful. I am even more attracted to you now. Seeing you become a mom, what you…what we… always talked about. It's the most beautiful thing that I have ever seen" Troy said.

Gabriella looked at Troy. Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella passionately and then pulled away slowly.

"You will always be beautiful to me" Troy said.

Gabriella wrapped her arms around Troy and cried.

"I love you so much" Troy said.

"I love you too. Thank you, Troy" Gabriella said.

Troy looked down at Gabriella.

"Now, get some sleep" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips. The couple fell asleep. A couple days later, Gabriella and Troy had started to get used to having Robert. When Gabriella would be taking a nap, Troy would bring him into his office. He and Gabriella had set up a pack and play in the office so that Troy could watch Robert while Troy was working. One afternoon, Troy was watching his son so that Gabriella could take a shower. He looked over his desk and smiled when he saw Robert sleeping. The doorbell rang and Robert woke up and started crying. Troy sighed. He got up and lifted Robert out of the pack and play and carried him to the front door. Troy opened the door and smiled when he saw his mother. Lucille opened her arms and Troy placed his son into them.

"How's it going, honey?" Lucille asked.

"I'm exhausted. Brie is double the exhaustion" Troy said.

"How's Gabi doing?" Lucille asked.

"She's emotional. But, Dr. A told us that it was normal if she was" Troy said.

Lucille nodded.

"And the two of you?" Lucille asked.

"Everything is kind of everywhere. I'm trying hold down the fort with the baby at night when he's not hungry. Gabs breastfeeds. We are just trying to figure out a schedule so that we don't just mumble to each other because we are so tired" Troy said.

Lucille smiled.

"Sounds like you are officially a daddy" Lucille said looking down at her now sleeping grandson.

"Yeah. I didn't think that it would be this crazy or difficult" Troy said.

"No one ever does. What's the plan for going back to work?" Lucille asked.

"I am still working from home. I don't want to leave Brie here by herself. But, I don't want her to be miserable if she comes with me on my trips" Troy said.

"So then what are you going to do?" Lucille asked.

"I have to talk to Brie and figure out what's going to happen" Troy said.

Lucille nodded. She stayed with Troy and Robert for a little while longer until she had to leave. Troy knew that he and Gabriella needed to figure out their plans. But he just wanted to wait until she was feeling a little better.


	13. Fighting Never Solves Anything

Gabriella had left Troy with Robert for the afternoon. She went out to lunch with her mom. Troy had phone meetings all day but agreed to be on "daddy duty" as he liked to call it. When Gabriella came home she couldn't help but giggle. Troy had set up the phone on the floor while he changed Robert's diaper. He had the phone on speaker so that he could talk to his employees as he changed his son's diaper. He looked over at her. Gabriella giggled as she walked over to Troy. She kissed Troy's cheek softly.

"Do you want me to take over?" Gabriella whispered.

Troy shook his head. He finished changing Robert's diaper and went to the designated diaper trash can that had become a staple in their living room and threw the dirty diaper away. Troy walked back to his son and looked at him. He lifted him up into his arms and grabbed the bag of diapers. Troy then remembered that he had to bring the phone with him. Gabriella took the wipes from Troy. Troy looked at Gabriella, gratefully. She walked upstairs and into their son's room and placed them next to the changing table. Gabriella walked back downstairs and saw Troy trying to juggle the phone and their son. She sighed and closed her eyes. Gabriella opened her eyes again and met Troy's. Troy knew she was annoyed. He wrapped up his phone call and hung up.

"I needed to take this meeting, Brie" Troy said.

Gabriella shook her head. She walked into the kitchen. Troy got up and left Robert lying on the couch.

"Brie, please don't me mad. I'm trying my best" Troy said.

"Where is our son, Troy?" Gabriella asked.

"On the couch" Troy said.

"Don't you think leaving a baby that is only a couple days old alone on the couch is a bad idea?" Gabriella asked now allowing herself to show how frustrated she was.

Troy walked over to the couch and picked Robert up.

"Babe, I'm learning. I don't have it down to a science" Troy said.

"But, juggling between work and your child at the same time, Troy?! You couldn't even carry him because you had the phone and wipes in your hands" Gabriella said.

The couple continued to argue until they finally were so angry that they went their separate ways to get some time alone. Troy went to his office and Gabriella went to their bedroom so that she could feed Robert. Two hours later, there was a knock on the bedroom door. Gabriella rolled her eyes.

"Yes?' Gabriella asked.

Troy poked his head into the bedroom.

"I'm sorry" Troy said softly.

Gabriella looked at Troy and motioned for him to come closer to her. Troy sat on the edge of the bed.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you" Gabriella said.

"Maybe we need to talk about the work thing" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I understand that you have a lot of stuff on your plate, Troy. I get it. But now the baby is here. He's not someone we just think about anymore. We have to be his parents" Gabriella said.

"I know and I'm trying to figure out to do both" Troy said.

"What about moving your office out of the house?" Gabriella asked.

"What?" Troy asked.

"If you rented out an office you could focus on the baby and not have to worry about doing your work stuff while watching the baby" Gabriella said.

"Okay. I'll start looking" Troy said getting up and walking out of the bedroom.

Troy walked downstairs to his office and closed the door behind him. That night, Gabriella put Robert down for bed. Troy hadn't left his office since he said that he was going to start looking for an office space. Gabriella saw that Troy's office door was still closed. She knocked on the door. Troy opened the door and looked at Gabriella.

"I just put him down to sleep" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded. He walked upstairs and went into his son's room quietly. Troy placed a kiss on Robert's head.

"Night buddy. I love you. I'm going to work this out with mommy. Don't worry" Troy said.

Troy walked out of the room and went downstairs. He walked into the living room and saw Gabriella sitting on the couch. He sat across from her.

"I found three different spaces for the office. I will go look at them tomorrow" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy looked down at his hands.

"I'm not mad at you, Troy" Gabriella said.

"It feels like you are" Troy said.

Gabriella moved closer to her husband.

"Things have to change now because the baby is here. We can't just do multiple things at once like what you were doing earlier. I understand that it's new. I also get that I may be a little bit forceful. I don't mean to come off that way. I'm just trying to make sure everything is solid" Gabriella said.

"But, when you want to make sure that everything is solid, why don't you just come to me and help me understand what I need to do? Because now I feel like a bad father because I did something wrong and don't know how to fix it and haven't done it before" Troy said honestly.

Gabriella placed her hand on top of Troy's.

"I will try to do that next time, okay? You aren't a bad father, Troy. You could never be. There are just things that we need to learn together" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded. Gabriella moved into Troy's lap. She wrapped her arms around Troy's shoulders.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

"I love you too" Troy said.

Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly. Gabriella pulled away and looked at Troy. She ran her fingers through his hair.

"Are we okay?" Gabriella asked.

Troy nodded.

"It's just an adjustment" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. That night, Gabriella went to bed feeling bad that she got so angry at Troy. She knew that he was learning and that Robert was only a couple days old. She opened her eyes and turned over. Troy was sound asleep. Gabriella snuggled into his arms. Troy instinctively placed his hands in their proper place on Gabriella's waist. He opened his eyes and saw Gabriella looking at him.

"What's wrong?" Troy asked.

Gabriella leaned over Troy and turned on the light. Troy squeezed his eyes shut.

"Gabs" Troy said sleepily.

"I don't want to be one of those couples that is so head over heels in love and then once they have a baby, everything falls apart" Gabriella said.

Troy opened his eyes and saw how upset Gabriella was. He sat up and looked at his wife. Troy took Gabriella's hand in his own.

"Is this about earlier?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"Brie, it was our first fight as parents. It's going to happen. We worked it out. Don't feel bad, baby" Troy said.

Gabriella sighed.

"We are going to fight about a lot" Troy said.

"I know" Gabriella said.

"It's just this was the first and you don't know how to feel" Troy said reading her mind.

Gabriella nodded. Troy leaned over and kissed Gabriella's lips.

"I love you so much, Brie. I'm okay. We are okay" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Feel a little better?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"Good. Now, go to sleep before he wakes up" Troy said.

Gabriella snuggled into Troy's chest. The couple fell asleep. A couple days later, Chad had come over with Eli. Robert and Eli were meeting for the first time.

"We got you and Robert something" Chad said.

Chad handed Troy a big box and a small box. Troy opened the small box and smiled. It was a jersey that had East High colors on it. Troy turned it over and smiled when he saw "Baby Bolton" on the back along with the number fourteen.

"That's awesome, Chad" Troy said holding up the baby jersey.

"There's more" Chad said putting the bigger box in front of him.

Troy opened the big box and laughed. He took out a jersey that was his size. Troy turned it over and smiled. The jersey had "Daddy Bolton" on the back along with the number fourteen.

"I thought that since now we have boys, we can have a proper two on two game" Chad said.

Troy smiled.

"Thanks Chad. That's awesome. Also, we will definitely win" Troy said.

Chad laughed.

"Game on, brother" Chad said.

Chad and Troy talked for a while. That night, Gabriella came home from her first meeting since having Robert.

"Troy?" Gabriella called.

Troy was carrying Robert. He walked to the door and smiled.

"Hi baby. Did daddy dress you today?" Gabriella asked as she lifted Robert from Troy's arms.

"Did you look at his shirt?" Troy asked.

Gabriella looked down at her son's shirt and giggled.

"There's more" Troy said.

Troy carefully lifted Robert from Gabriella's arms so she could see the back of the jersey.

"That's so cute. Wait, do you have one too?" Gabriella asked looking at Troy's shirt.

Troy nodded. He turned around and Gabriella laughed.

"That's so cute. How was your day alone with him?" Gabriella asked.

"We napped. We drank our milk. We napped again. Changed a couple diapers. Chad and Eli came over. Eli and Rob became best friends. Pretty good day" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"Good" Gabriella said.

"How was your meeting?" Troy asked.

"Fine. Just long. Everyone knew that I was trying to get out of there as soon as possible" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"You missed him" Troy said.

"And you" Gabriella said.

Troy kissed Gabriella's cheek.

"I found an office space that I liked. I paid the first two months of rent. I'll start moving my stuff out tomorrow" Troy said.

"Do you want help?" Gabriella asked.

"I got it. Plus, you are off tomorrow. You are going to want to spend that time with Rob" Troy said.

"Just be careful" Gabriella said.

"I know. I will" Troy said.

That night, Gabriella had finished feeding Robert. She put him down to bed. Gabriella got cleaned up and walked downstairs to find Troy. Troy was in his office packing boxes of his stuff.

"Do you need help?" Gabriella asked.

Troy looked at Gabriella smiled. He knew that this was a good thing and it would take time to adjust.

"Sure, baby" Troy said.

Troy told Gabriella what he wanted to put in the boxes. The couple packed boxes until they were done. Troy looked around the room.

"End of an era" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled. She walked over to Troy and wrapped her arms around him. Gabriella stood on her tip toes and kissed Troy's lips.

"Thank you baby" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled and nodded.

"Chad and I will move the desk and the couch tomorrow" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. The couple walked out of the office and shut off the light. They walked upstairs. Once they got to the bedroom, Gabriella grabbed her pajamas, which now consisted of nursing bras and Troy's boxers. She started walking towards the bathroom.

"Where are you going?" Troy asked.

"To the bathroom to change" Gabriella said.

"You haven't done that in years" Troy said.

"Well, I don't feel like myself right now" Gabriella said.

"Brie, come here baby" Troy said.

Gabriella walked over to Troy. He motioned for her to sit down on their bed.

"There's a lot-" Gabriella started.

"There are a lot of changes happening in your body right now. I get it. But, don't be embarrassed about it. Especially around me" Troy said.

Gabriella looked down. Troy took Gabriella's hand in his own.

"You already have to deal with the mood swings" Gabriella mumbled.

"And I can handle this too, babe. We are a team. You and me" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"It's going to take time to get used to these changes. But we can do this together" Troy said.

Gabriella wrapped her arms around Troy. Troy kissed Gabriella's shoulder.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled and held her closer to him.

"I love you too" Troy said.

Gabriella pulled away. Troy handed Gabriella her pajamas. Gabriella took her shirt off self-consciously. She looked at Troy, who winked at her. Gabriella changed into her pajamas and climbed into bed. The next day, Troy and Chad were moving boxes to Troy's new office.

"How's everything going with you and Gabs since Robert's been born?" Chad asked.

"A lot of fighting but we are getting through it" Troy said.

"Fighting about baby stuff or other stuff?" Chad asked.

"Both. I know that she's trying to figure out her new role. I am too. I think she's also trying to get back to where she used to be, emotionally" Troy said.

Chad nodded.

"And that bothers you" Chad concluded.

Troy taped a box shut.

"I've supported her through all of this stuff. I am just waiting for the day that she is back to her usual self" Troy said.

"It will take a while. It took a while for Tay to get back to how she was. You just need to be patient with her, Troy. She's going through a lot. She just had a baby" Chad said.

"Am I being too sensitive about this?" Troy asked.

"No. But, this is something that you haven't experienced before. It's not something that happens overnight" Chad said.

Troy nodded. The two men packed the rest of the boxes and loaded Troy's truck. They then drove to the new office and unloaded the boxes. That night, Troy came home and didn't hear Gabriella or his son. He walked upstairs and saw that Robert's bedroom door was slightly closed. Troy didn't know if he should knock or just walk in. He settled on knocking. Troy knocked on the open door.

"Troy?" Gabriella called.

"Yeah, it's me" Troy said.

"You can come in if you want" Gabriella said.

Troy opened the door slowly. Gabriella was sitting in the rocking chair with her shirt pulled down, feeding Robert.

"I can come back if you want to be alone" Troy said.

"No, you are fine" Gabriella said sweetly.

Troy walked over to the chair that was across from Gabriella and sat down.

"How was moving?" Gabriella asked.

"Fine. We got everything over there. Tomorrow I will unpack everything" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. She looked down and smiled at their son.

"I'm sorry that I've been impatient with you. I know that you are going through a lot" Troy said softly.

Gabriella looked up at Troy.

"It's both of us, Troy. Not just you. It's my fault too" Gabriella said.

"I know that you are trying to get back to your old self" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I just wanted to tell you that I love you and I am so proud of you" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled slightly.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. Gabriella saw that Robert pulled away.

"Can you burp him while I go get cleaned up?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah" Troy said opening his arms.

Gabriella placed their son into Troy's arms. Troy gently patted Robert's back. Gabriella left the room. Ten minutes later, Gabriella came back into the bedroom. Troy had rocked their son to sleep. Gabriella smiled. Troy looked up and smiled. The couple knew that with time and communication, they would be where they used to be.


	14. Second Generation of Wildcats

Four years later, Robert or to Gabriella and Troy, Rob, was four years old. He was the spitting image of Troy. But had dark brown hair and olive skin. A lot had happened in the last four years. Troy had gone back to work managing his company in different locations. He would spend a lot of time away. But, he always made sure that he would talk to Gabriella and Rob every night before Rob went to bed. Robert loved basketball. When Troy would be home, he, Rob, Chad, and Eli would play two on two games. Just like Troy and Chad had pictured that they would. One night, Troy was on his way home after being away for three days on a business trip to his La Cruces location. He parked his car in the driveway. Troy had asked Gabriella to keep Rob up so that he could spend a little time with him. He unlocked the door and walked into the house.

"Hello?" Troy called.

"Daddy!" Robert yelled and came running into the entry way from the living room.

Troy kneeled down and caught his son in his arms.

"Hey champ, how's it going?" Troy asked.

"I missed you" Robert said.

"I missed you too, bud" Troy said.

He walked into the living room and saw Gabriella sitting on the couch.

"Hi baby" Troy said kissing Gabriella's lips.

"Hi" Gabriella said.

"What did you do while I was gone?" Troy asked sitting next to Gabriella.

"Uncle Chad came over with Eli and we played basketball" Robert said.

Troy smiled.

"Maybe we can play tomorrow" Troy said.

"Yeah" Robert said.

Gabriella smiled.

"Buddy, it's time for bed. Go upstairs and brush your teeth" Gabriella said.

Robert went upstairs. Troy looked at Gabriella.

"You can put him to bed tonight" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Troy said.

Troy walked upstairs and saw Robert getting into his bed. He walked into his son's bedroom and lied down next to him.

"Daddy?" Robert asked.

"Yeah buddy?" Troy asked.

"Will you be here all day tomorrow?" Robert asked.

Troy felt his heart break a little. He felt guilty for traveling to his different business locations while his wife and son were at home.

"Yeah, why?" Troy asked.

"Because you are always working and sometimes, I don't get to see you" Robert said.

Troy looked at his son.

"Rob, remember when I talked to you about how to make money?" Troy asked.

"Yeah" Robert said.

"What do we need to do to make money?" Troy asked.

"Work hard" Robert said.

"Exactly. That's what daddy is doing" Troy said looking at his son.

"You must be working really hard" Robert said.

Troy smiled and nodded.

"Yeah. Now, it's time for you to go to sleep" Troy said.

Robert snuggled into his bed. Troy got off the bed. He walked over to the side.

"I love you Rob" Troy said kissing his forehead.

"I love you daddy" Robert said.

Troy shut the light off and closed the door slightly. He then walked into his and Gabriella's bedroom.

"Is he asleep?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah" Troy said.

Troy unbuttoned his shirt and took it off. He then took his pants off. Troy put his clothes in the hamper and got into bed. Gabriella snuggled into Troy's chest.

"I missed you" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"I missed you too, baby. Rob said that too when I was putting him to bed" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"He's understanding that you are gone a lot" Gabriella said.

"I don't do it on purpose. We've tried to do this a lot of different ways" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"And I appreciate the effort that you have put in" Gabriella said.

Troy had quit his job when Rob was two years old. But then the couple realized that Troy needed to continue in order to maintain their current lifestyle. So he re-joined his company.

"We will figure it out" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded tiredly.

"Go to sleep, baby" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled. She leaned in and kissed Troy's lips softly.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

"I love you too" Troy said.

The next day, Troy had gotten up early. He went to the gym and got his workout in. Troy came home and took a shower. After his shower, Troy looked at the clock and saw that it read eight AM. He walked down the hall to Rob's room and opened the door. Troy saw his son sleeping. He walked over to the bed and sat on the edge.

"Rob, time to wake up" Troy said rubbing his son's back.

Robert whined in his sleep and turned over. Troy chuckled.

"You are exactly like me it's scary" Troy mumbled.

Troy walked to Robert's closet and pulled out his wildcat jersey that Jack had given him for Christmas. He set it on the bed. Troy then went to grab a pair of joggers and placed them on the bed. He then walked back to Robert.

"Rob, I guess I will have to leave you here and go play basketball with Uncle Chad and Grandpa Jack alone" Troy said.

Robert sat up excitedly.

"Let's go, daddy!" Robert squealed.

Troy laughed.

"You need to get dressed first, bud" Troy said pointing to his clothes on the bed.

Robert got out of bed. He changed into the clothes that Troy set out for him.

"Alright, let's go downstairs and see mommy" Troy said.

Troy and Robert walked downstairs to the kitchen. Gabriella was drinking her coffee.

"Hi baby. Are you going to go play with Eli and Grandpa today?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah mommy" Robert said.

Gabriella smiled. She looked at the clock on the wall and smiled sadly.

"I've got to get to the office" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Troy said.

Gabriella knelt down and opened her arms. Robert walked into them and hugged his mother.

"I'll be back in a little while. Have fun with daddy, Eli, and grandpa, Rob" Gabriella said.

"Okay mommy" Robert said.

Gabriella kissed Troy's lips and Robert's cheek and left the house. Troy poured Robert's favorite cereal into a bowl and put it in front of him. He then grabbed the milk from the refrigerator and poured some into his son's bowl. Troy handed Robert a spoon. Robert ate his cereal. He then got up and brought his bowl and spoon to the sink and placed it in.

"Daddy, I'm ready" Robert said.

Troy smiled.

"Let's go get your shoes on" Troy said.

Robert walked upstairs and got his shoes. He walked downstairs and handed them to Troy. Robert sat on the first step. Troy knelt down and helped Robert put on his shoes. He then tied them.

"Let me go get the ball and we will go" Troy said.

Troy walked upstairs and got his basketball. He walked downstairs.

"Let's go bud" Troy said.

Troy and Robert walked out of the house. They walked to the car. Troy opened the door and lifted Robert up so that he could get into the car.

"Seatbelt, Rob" Troy said as he watched his son sit down in his car seat.

Robert put his seatbelt on. Troy double checked it. He then closed the backseat door. Troy got into the drivers seat and placed the basketball into the passenger seat. He started driving to his parents house. Once they got to Troy's parents house, Troy parked the car in the driveway. Robert unbuckled his seatbelt. Troy got out of the car and shut the door. He walked to Robert's side and opened the backseat door. Troy helped Robert get out of the car. Troy closed the car door and locked it. The two boys walked to the front door. Robert pressed the doorbell. Jack opened the door and smiled.

"Boltons! On the court!" Jack said.

Robert jumped into Jack's arms. Troy smiled.

"Is Chad here already?" Troy asked.

"Not yet. But that gives us time to warm-up" Jack said setting Robert down.

Troy, Jack, and Robert walked to the backyard. Troy dribbled the ball that he brought and shot a three-pointer. Robert yelled in excitement. Troy and Jack laughed. Troy went and retrieved the ball. He then handed the ball to Robert. Troy watched his son dribble the ball as best as a four-year-old could. Robert grabbed the ball and then looked up at the basket. Troy lifted Robert up to the net. Robert threw the ball in.

"And Bolton makes the basket. The crowd goes wild" Troy said as he made sound effects of a crowd cheering.

Jack laughed.

"Bolton! You ready?" Chad asked coming into the backyard from the gate with Eli.

"Yeah" Robert yelled.

Troy laughed. He kneeled down next to Robert.

"What does daddy always say before we start a game?" Troy asked.

Robert stood and thought.

"Wildcats!" Robert said proudly.

"Get your head in the game" Troy, Chad, and Jack said loudly.

Troy smiled proudly. He got up. The three men and the two toddlers played basketball for a while. Lucille walked out to the backyard and smiled.

"Training a new generation of wildcats, guys?" Lucille asked jokingly.

"Grandma! Watch this. Daddy, can you help me?" Robert asked as he held the ball.

Robert dribbled the ball and looked up at the basket. Troy lifted Robert up and watched him throw the ball in the basket.

"Yay Rob! Good job honey" Lucille said cheered.

Troy set Robert down and watched him walk over to Lucille.

"I think Rob's out" Chad said.

Troy nodded.

"He did good" Troy said.

"He made his grandpa proud" Jack said.

The three men, the two toddlers, and Lucille talked for a while. Troy and Robert had gone home. Troy opened the front door and let Robert walk in first.

"Mommy" Robert called.

Gabriella walked into the entry way and smiled.

"Wow guys! You look like you had a crazy game. Who won?" Gabriella asked.

"Uncle Chad and Eli" Robert said.

"But, it's okay right?" Troy said.

Robert nodded.

"Yeah. Next game, we will win" Robert said.

Troy smiled. Gabriella shook her head.

"Your twin" Gabriella said.

Troy chuckled.

"Go upstairs and into the bathroom, bud. I'll be right there" Gabriella said.

Robert walked upstairs.

"How was the office?" Troy asked.

"Fine. I have a new case" Gabriella said.

"That's great, baby" Troy said kissing her lips.

"Yeah. It should be interesting" Gabriella said.

Gabriella walked upstairs and gave Robert a bath. A couple weeks later, Troy was working in his new office. His office was only ten minutes away from home. There was a knock on his office door.

"Troy, you have a visitor" Alice, the property manager said.

"Send them in" Troy said.

Troy saw the door open but didn't see anyone come in. He looked down and smiled.

"Daddy!" Robert said.

"Hey buddy. Where's mommy?" Troy asked.

"I'm here. He's just faster" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"The office looks nice" Gabriella said looking around.

"Yeah. It's a lot more space than at home" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"What are you guys doing?" Troy asked.

"We went and saw my mom. We were passing by and figured we stop and say hi to you" Gabriella said.

"That was nice of you" Troy said.

"We are going to go home and take a nap, right?" Gabriella said.

"Yeah" Robert said.

"Okay. Thanks for stopping by" Troy said kissing Gabriella's lips.

"Of course" Gabriella said.

Troy knelt. Robert walked over to Troy and into his arms.

"I'll see you in a little bit" Troy said.

"Okay daddy" Robert said.

Gabriella and Robert left Troy's office. That night, the couple had put Robert to bed. Gabriella went back downstairs to finish a piece that she was working on for her new case. An hour later, Troy walked downstairs. He smiled when he saw Gabriella sitting at the kitchen table typing on her laptop. Troy walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her. He kissed Gabriella's shoulder.

"How's it going, baby?" Troy asked.

"Slow" Gabriella said.

"Do you want some help?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shook her head. She closed her laptop and looked at her husband.

"How was the office today?" Gabriella asked.

"Fine. We have a big project coming up" Troy said.

"Does that mean you are going to be travelling again?" Gabriella asked.

"A little. But, it will be quick" Troy said.

Gabriella looked at Troy. Troy looked at Gabriella. He placed his hand on top of Gabriella's.

"It will be fine" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"Brie" Troy said.

Gabriella looked at Troy.

"I love you" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

The next day, Troy, Chad, and Robert were outside. They were playing basketball. Robert had the ball and was dribbling it and ran but fell on the concrete. Robert started crying. Troy and Chad walked over.

"You okay, bud?" Troy asked.

"My knee" Robert cried.

Troy looked at his son's knee that was now skinned and starting to bleed.

"Come on. Let's go get a band-aid" Troy said lifting Robert into his arms.

Troy and Chad walked into the house. Gabriella looked up from what she was doing.

"What happened?" Gabriella asked.

"He ran and fell. He skinned his knee" Troy said.

Troy set Robert on the counter. He grabbed a band-aid and antiseptic. Troy opened the antiseptic wipe and looked at his son.

"This is going to sting a little bit. But, it will help your knee heal okay, bud?" Troy said.

Robert nodded. Troy carefully wiped Robert's knee with the wipe, which made him cry more. Troy threw the wipe away. He then placed a band-aid onto his knee.

"There we go. All done" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"You were really brave out there, bud" Chad said.

Troy smiled.

"I want to play some more" Robert said.

"We can play more tomorrow, Rob. Let your knee heal up a little bit" Troy said.

"Okay" Robert said.

Troy lifted Robert up and set him back onto the ground. Gabriella looked at her son. Robert went over to Gabriella and leaned his head on her shoulder. Chad shook Troy's hand. He then walked over and kneeled down and looked at Robert. Chad fist-bumped Robert. He stood up. Troy walked Chad out. A couple minutes later, Troy came back into the room.

"How did he do, coach?" Gabriella asked jokingly.

"He was killing it. I am so proud of you, Rob" Troy said.

Robert smiled.

"Thanks daddy" Robert said.

Gabriella smiled. She kissed Robert's head softly. The little family relaxed around the house the rest of the day. That night, Gabriella was in bed. Troy walked into the bedroom and took his pants off. He unbuttoned his shirt and took it off. Troy took his clothes and put them in the hamper. He then climbed into bed. Gabriella snuggled into Troy's arms and moaned in her sleep. Troy smiled.

"Are you sleeping or just closing your eyes?" Troy asked.

"Closing my eyes" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. Gabriella opened her eyes and looked at Troy.

"Can I talk to you about something?" Gabriella asked slowly.

Troy turned on the light that was on his bedside table.

"Is this a serious conversation?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded. Troy walked over to their bedroom door and closed it. He walked back to the bed and got in. Troy looked at Gabriella.

"What's up?" Troy asked.

"I know that we've never talked about this and I don't know how to ask" Gabriella started.

"Babe, you know that you can talk to me about anything" Troy said.

"I know. I just don't know how to bring this up" Gabriella said.

"Just speak what's on your mind and I will do the rest" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"When we got married, I asked you how many kids that you wanted. Remember that conversation?" Gabriella asked.

Troy smiled and nodded. He knew where this conversation was going.

"Yeah, I remember" Troy said.

Gabriella took a nervous breath. Troy put his hand on Gabriella's face.

"Brie, it's just me. I won't get mad. Just talk to me" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Would you be opposed to trying for another baby?" Gabriella asked turning red.

Troy smiled. Gabriella tried to hide her face because she was so embarrassed. Troy moved her face so that she was looking at him. Gabriella looked down.

"I would love to" Troy said lovingly.

Gabriella looked up and her eyes started watering.

"Really?" Gabriella asked softly.

Troy smiled and nodded.

"Really, baby" Troy said.


	15. Two Is Better Than One

Over the next couple months, Troy and Gabriella had started trying for their second child. They decided that they were not going to rush the process like they did with Robert. If It happened, it happened. One day, Gabriella came home and smiled when she saw Robert sitting on the couch with Maria.

"Hi mom" Gabriella said.

"Hi honey" Maria said.

"Mommy" Robert said.

Robert got off the couch and Gabriella kneeled down and opened her arms.

"Hi baby, did you have fun with grandma?" Gabriella asked lifting her son up and setting him on her hip.

"Yeah" Robert said.

"Did daddy come see you?" Gabriella asked.

"For a little while and then he went back to work" Robert said.

Gabriella smiled.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Maria left the house. That night, Troy walked in the front door and smiled when he saw Rob running over to him. He kneeled down.

"Hey bud. What's going on?" Troy asked.

"I missed you" Robert said.

Troy smiled.

"I missed you too" Troy said.

Troy and Robert walked into living room.

"Hi baby" Troy said.

"Hi" Gabriella said.

Troy walked over and kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"How was the office?" Gabriella asked.

"Good. We got a lot of work done. We have a trip coming up" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled slightly. That night, Gabriella decided to take a pregnancy test. Even though Gabriella and Troy were not in a rush to get pregnant, Gabriella still wanted to keep track of time. Gabriella took the test and waited five minutes. Once the five minutes were up, Gabriella looked at the test.

_Pregnant _

Gabriella's eyes widened. She took a second pregnancy test just to be sure. Five minutes later, the second test came up positive. Gabriella smiled and took a deep breath.

"Mommy?" Robert called.

Gabriella smiled. She thought of a perfect way to tell Troy the news.

"Yeah baby?" Gabriella asked poking her head out of the bathroom.

"What are you doing, mommy?" Robert asked.

"Nothing baby. Where's daddy?" Gabriella asked kneeling down in front of the four-year-old.

"He's downstairs watching TV" Robert said.

Gabriella smiled.

"I have a surprise for daddy. Can you help me?" Gabriella asked.

Robert smiled and nodded.

"I need you to give daddy this, okay?" Gabriella said giving Robert the pregnancy test.

"Okay" Robert said.

Robert took the test in his hands and walked downstairs. He walked into the living room.

"Daddy?" Robert called.

"What's up, Rob?" Troy asked looking at his son.

"Mommy told me to give you this" Robert said.

Troy motioned for Rob to come closer to him. Robert handed the pregnancy test to his father. Troy looked at the test and smiled. He kneeled down to his son's level.

"Thanks, bud. Is mommy upstairs?" Troy asked.

"Yeah. Are you mad, daddy?" Robert asked.

"No, Rob. Did mommy tell you what this is?" Troy asked.

Robert shook his head. Troy smiled. He kissed his son's head.

"Mommy is going to have a baby" Troy said.

Robert smiled.

"Really?" Robert asked.

Troy nodded.

"Is that cool or what?" Troy asked.

Robert nodded. Troy smiled.

"I'm going to go talk to mommy really quick, okay?" Troy said.

"Okay, daddy" Robert said.

Troy got up and walked upstairs. He walked into the bedroom and saw Gabriella watching television.

"Hey baby" Troy said.

"Hi" Gabriella said.

"Rob gave me this" Troy said handing Gabriella the pregnancy test.

Gabriella smiled. She looked up.

"I didn't know how to tell you" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He wrapped his arms around Gabriella.

"We're going to have a baby" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled and nodded. A couple weeks later, Gabriella came home from work. She saw Troy helping Rob with his coloring book. Gabriella walked over to the two boys and wrapped her arms around Troy.

"Hey sweetheart" Troy said.

"Hey, what are you guys doing?" Gabriella asked as Troy pulled up a chair for her.

"Coloring" Robert said.

Gabriella smiled.

"Rob was saying how he wants a baby brother" Troy said.

"I'll see what I can do" Gabriella said as she sat down in the chair next to Troy.

"I can teach him how to play basketball and we can make a team with Eli" Robert said.

Troy smiled.

"What if the baby is a girl? What's going to happen?" Troy asked.

"It won't be. Girls are yucky" Robert said.

"You don't think I'm yucky" Gabriella said.

"Because you are my mommy" Robert said.

Gabriella giggled. Troy kissed Gabriella's head softly.

"How are you feeling?" Troy whispered into Gabriella's ear.

"Okay. A little nauseated" Gabriella whispered.

Troy rubbed Gabriella's back soothingly. That night, Troy and Gabriella were in their bedroom.

"When do you leave for your trip?" Gabriella asked.

"Tomorrow at ten. I'll be back in two days. Are you going to be okay with Rob by yourself?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"Yeah, we will be fine" Gabriella said.

"Okay. If anything happens, don't hesitate to call me, Brie" Troy said.

"I know" Gabriella said.

Gabriella wasn't going to go with Troy on his business trip because he didn't want her to be stressed out. Lucille and Maria had agreed to help out with Robert while Troy was gone.

"It's going to be hard to hide that I'm pregnant from our mothers" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled sympathetically.

"If they ask anything, just tell them that you are fine" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Monday you have an appointment right?" Troy clarified.

Gabriella nodded.

"Okay. It feels like it is going much faster than Rob" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"We aren't lost of what to do" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded. A couple days later, Troy had returned from his trip. Gabriella and Troy were currently in the waiting room of Dr. A's office.

"You nervous?" Troy asked.

"Yeah" Gabriella said.

Troy took Gabriella's hand in his own.

"Everything is going to be fine. If something is wrong, we will go through it together. You and me" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled. She remembered that phrase Troy used when she was pregnant with Rob. Gabriella's name was called and the couple was escorted into a room. Gabriella changed into a gown and sat on the exam table. A couple minutes later, Dr. A came into the room.

"Hi guys, long time no see" Dr. A said.

"Yeah" Gabriella said.

"How's Robert?" Dr. A asked.

"He's four years old and looks exactly like Troy" Gabriella said.

Dr. A smiled.

"So what's going on?" Dr. A asked.

"We started trying again and I found out that I was pregnant" Gabriella explained.

Dr. A nodded.

"Okay, let's take a look" Dr. A said.

Dr. A let the ultrasound heat up. Once it was heated, Dr. A squeezed gel onto Gabriella's stomach. She then took the wand and moved the gel around. Dr. A, Gabriella, and Troy looked at the monitor. Dr. A continued to move the wand around Gabriella's stomach. Gabriella was getting scared because she wasn't saying anything. Gabriella looked at Troy. Troy took Gabriella's hand in his own.

"Is everything okay, Dr. A?" Troy asked.

Dr. A nodded.

"Yeah, everything is fine. You guys are just going to have to buy two of everything" Dr. A said.

Gabriella's eyes widened. She looked at Troy, who looked like he was going to faint any moment.

"Congratulations, Gabi and Troy. You are having twins" Dr. A said.

Troy opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out.

"Twins?" Gabriella asked stunned.

Dr. A nodded. Gabriella started to cry. Troy was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard Gabriella cry.

"I'll give you two a minute" Dr. A said.

"Thank you" Troy said.

Dr. A left the room. Gabriella looked at Troy.

"Twins, Troy?" Gabriella asked as she cried.

Troy kissed Gabriella's cheek. He put his hand on top of hers.

"Yeah, but just think. We will have three times the love to give to our babies" Troy said.

"It's just-" Gabriella started.

"It's a shock, babe. But, it's happening" Troy said.

"There's just a lot going through my head. Work, where are we going to put them, work" Gabriella said.

"Hey, look at me" Troy said softly.

Gabriella looked at Troy.

"We will figure it out together" Troy said entwining their fingers together.

Gabriella nodded. Troy smiled. He kissed Gabriella's lips.

"I love you so much" Troy said.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

Dr. A came back into the room and did her routine exam. An hour later, the couple left the office. Troy drove to his parents house to pick up Robert. Once in the car, Robert could sense that something was wrong.

"What's wrong, mommy?" Robert asked.

Gabriella looked at her son.

"Nothing baby. Everything is fine" Gabriella said.

"Why are you crying?" Robert asked.

"I'm happy" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Robert said.

Gabriella turned back around and looked at Troy.

"Mommy's okay, bud" Troy said.

"Why is she crying, daddy?" Robert asked.

"Sometimes when you are happy, you cry. When you cry, it doesn't always mean that you are sad" Troy said.

"Oh" Robert said.

The little family drove home. That night, Gabriella went downstairs and sat in the kitchen. She had a lot of thoughts racing through her head. They were having two babies. She was so happy, but also really scared. Gabriella heard footsteps coming into the room.

"Gabs?" Troy called.

"Mmhm?" Gabriella asked.

"Did you get sick?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shook her head.

"Why are you up at two in the morning?" Troy asked.

"I'm thinking" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He patted the chair next to him at the center island. Gabriella walked over to Troy and sat down.

"What's on your mind, sweetheart?" Troy asked.

"We are going to have two babies" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled and nodded.

"Yeah" Troy said.

"I'm scared" Gabriella said looking down at her stomach.

"Scared about what?" Troy asked taking her hand in his own.

"I'm scared about everything. This pregnancy, work, Rob, and us" Gabriella said.

Troy kissed Gabriella's head softly. He stood up and motioned for Gabriella to follow him. The couple walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. Gabriella leaned her head on Troy's shoulder.

"The work thing I will handle. I will make sure that I don't have any work trips so that I can be here with you and Rob. As far as the pregnancy goes, everything will be fine. We have done this before. I think when Rob understands what is happening, he will be happy too. He's confused and it's not real to him yet. Lastly, we will always be okay, baby. We've made it this far. I think that not going on the work trips will solve a lot of the issues" Troy said.

"I think it's just a lot to digest" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"But, we will get through it. I'll be right here" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"I love you, Troy" Gabriella said.

"I love you too, Brie. Come on, let's get you back to bed. You are sleeping for three now" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded tiredly. Troy helped Gabriella stand up. He kissed her lips softly. The couple walked upstairs and went into their bedroom. Troy and Gabriella got into bed.

"Wake me up if you need me, babe" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. She snuggled into Troy's chest. A week later, Gabriella was starting to show. She was also getting really sick. The morning sickness had hit her harder than with Robert. Gabriella walked into the living room and smiled when she saw Robert sitting on the couch watching television.

"Hey, baby" Gabriella said.

Gabriella sat next to Robert. Rob had become really protective of his mother. Robert snuggled into Gabriella's side.

"We are going to tell grandma Maria, grandma Lucille, and grandpa Jack about the babies today" Gabriella said.

Robert nodded. He was still trying to understand what was happening. The couple had told Robert about the twins but they knew it was not going to make sense to him until they were actually here. Troy walked downstairs.

"What time is everyone coming over?" Troy asked.

"An hour" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Troy said.

An hour later, Troy and Gabriella's parents were sitting in the living room. Robert was sitting on Lucille's lap.

"What is the news that you needed to tell us? Troy, are you leaving for a longer period of time?" Jack asked.

Troy shook his head.

"No. So, we have been wanting to have a second baby for a while now. A week ago, we found out some news from the doctor" Troy said.

Troy looked at Gabriella. Gabriella nodded. Troy looked at his parents and Gabriella's mother.

"We are pregnant with not just one baby, but two" Troy said.

Everyone was shocked.

"Two?! As in twins?" Lucille asked.

Gabriella started crying. Robert got off of his grandmother's lap.

"Don't cry, mommy" Robert said.

Gabriella smiled and kissed his head.

"We know that it's a shock. But, we are so happy" Gabriella said.

"It's a blessing" Maria said.

The couple smiled. The Bolton's nodded as well.

"We are so happy for you guys. It was just so unexpected" Lucille said.

Troy smiled. He watched Robert comfort Gabriella.

"Thanks guys" Gabriella said.

"Brie and I are going to need some help. Now that we will have three babies around" Troy said.

"I'm not a baby" Robert said.

Gabriella giggled.

"He means two babies and one big boy. Right, Troy?" Gabriella asked.

Troy smiled and nodded.

"Yeah" Troy said.

"If you need us, you can always ask" Maria said.

Gabriella sighed in relief. The rest of the day, both of their families talked about the new additions that would be arriving soon. That night, Gabriella climbed into bed. She was exhausted. Troy walked into the room.

"You going to bed?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded tiredly.

"I'm really tired. Do you mind-" Gabriella started.

"I can put him to bed" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"Bring him in here to say goodnight first" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Troy said.

Troy walked out of the room. A couple minutes later, Troy came back into the room with Robert. They walked over to the bed. Troy lifted his son onto the bed and watched him crawl over to his mother.

"Mommy, you are in bed before me" Robert said.

Troy smiled.

"Yeah. The babies are making me really tired" Gabriella said.

"The babies are going to make mommy tired for a while, champ" Troy said.

"Why?" Robert asked.

"Because the babies have to grow in mommy's belly. They eat what mommy eats to stay healthy so that they can come out and be strong like you" Troy said.

"Are they hurting her?" Robert asked.

Troy shook his head.

"No. They are just growing for right now. But, now that mommy has the babies in her belly, she is going to need some help from us" Troy said.

"Help?" Robert asked.

Troy nodded.

"We need to help mommy with some things so that the babies come out nice and strong like you" Troy said.

"I want to do everything for mommy" Robert said.

Gabriella smiled.

"I will really appreciate it, baby. You and daddy have to protect us" Gabriella said.

"I will mommy" Robert said.

Troy smiled.

"Okay, give me kisses and go with daddy" Gabriella said.

Robert hugged and kissed his mother. He then walked out of the room with Troy. A couple minutes later, Troy came back into the room.

"He's so sweet" Gabriella said.

"That's our son" Troy said.

"We've said it before, but he really is your twin" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"He wants to keep his mommy safe just like his daddy does" Troy said.

The couple went to bed that night so happy and thankful for their life. They were really excited for the twins to arrive.


	16. You Will Still Be My Best Buddy

A couple days later, Gabriella was working on her laptop. She was working on a case write-up. Troy walked into the kitchen and smiled.

"Hey baby, how are you feeling?" Troy asked kissing her cheek.

"A little achy and tired" Gabriella said.

"Is there anything that I can do to help?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shook her head. She patted the seat next to her. Troy sat down. Gabriella closed her laptop.

"Did you sleep last night, sweetheart?" Troy asked.

"A little bit. Not much" Gabriella said.

"Still feeling nauseated?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"I'm sorry" Troy said.

"It's okay. It will pass" Gabriella said.

"It is significantly better than when you were pregnant with Rob" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"But, you would think with twins it would be worse" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"How was your meeting?" Gabriella asked.

"Fine. We got everything done. I am going to do skype calls to all the branches so that I can stay home with you" Troy said.

"Will that be okay?" Gabriella asked.

Troy nodded.

"We got everything worked out. Everything can be uploaded electronically. Documents will be emailed to me and I can approve or deny them that way" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Thank you for doing all that. I feel bad" Gabriella said.

"Don't feel bad. I wanted to do this. You shouldn't have been traveling with me last time. I want to be close to home in the event that something happens" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled slightly.

"Thank you baby. I love you" Gabriella said.

"I love you too. Where's Rob?" Troy asked looking around the room.

"He's upstairs playing" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"Are you going to go up there?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah. I'm going to go up and see how he's doing. I'm surprised he's not down here watching your every move" Troy joked.

"He may be your twin, but I am still his mom. I can tell him when to stop" Gabriella said.

Troy chuckled. He walked out of the room and went upstairs. Troy walked to Rob's room and knocked on the slightly open door. Robert looked up.

"Hey bud, what are you doing?" Troy asked sitting down next to his son.

"Playing with my basketball team" Robert said.

Troy smiled. Robert picked up his basketball player action figures and placed them on the plastic basketball court.

"Can I play with you?" Troy asked.

"Yeah daddy" Robert said.

Troy and Robert played with the action figures.

"Are you excited about the twins, buddy?" Troy asked.

"Yeah. I'll have people to play with" Robert said.

Troy smiled.

"Yeah, but daddy and mommy will still be able to play with you, right?" Troy said.

Robert nodded.

"Yeah. You play the best" Robert said.

Troy chuckled.

"Do you think the babies are boys or girls?" Troy asked.

"One boy and one girl. Mommy needs a girl since you have me" Robert said.

"I thought that you didn't want girls?" Troy asked.

"I don't. But, I want one for mommy" Robert said.

Troy smiled.

"That's sweet, Rob. You know that when the babies come, you are still going to be my best buddy right?" Troy said.

Robert nodded.

"You are still going to be mine" Robert said.

Troy smiled.

"And even though the babies will need mommy and I a lot of the time, we will still make time to play with you" Troy said.

Robert smiled and nodded.

"I like playing with you, daddy" Robert said.

"Me too, Rob" Troy said.

Troy and Rob continued to play for a while. Troy walked downstairs and saw Gabriella putting dishes away. Gabriella looked at Troy.

"What was he doing?" Gabriella asked.

"He was playing with his basketball team" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"Did you talk to him?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah. He thinks that you are going to have a girl and a boy" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"Why?" Gabriella asked.

"He said that mommy needs a girl because he has me" Troy said.

"He's so cute" Gabriella said.

"I also told him that even though the babies will take up a lot of time at the beginning, we will still make time to play with him" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Good. How did he take that?" Gabriella asked.

"He was fine. But, I don't think it will really hit until the babies are here" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. That night, Gabriella was tossing and turning. Troy turned on his bedside lamp and sat up. He gently rubbed Gabriella's back and kissed her head softly.

"Brie" Troy called.

Gabriella opened her eyes.

"You okay?" Troy asked.

"Just trying to get comfortable. Sorry that I woke you up" Gabriella said.

"Is it your back?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shook her head.

"What's wrong baby?" Troy asked.

"Im-" Gabriella started but then got out of bed quickly and ran to the bathroom.

Troy followed Gabriella into the bathroom and held her hair as she regurgitated the remains of her stomach. Ten minutes later, Gabriella washed her face and looked at Troy. Troy wrapped his arms around Gabriella's waist.

"Let's get you back to bed" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. The couple walked into their bedroom. Troy tucked Gabriella into bed and kissed her cheek.

"Wake me up if you need to throw up again, okay?" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy then walked to his side of the bed and got in. Gabriella snuggled into Troy's chest and fell asleep. The next morning, Gabriella felt little hands snuggling into her. She opened her eyes and saw Robert trying to get closer to her. Gabriella opened her arms and Robert moved closer to her.

"Morning baby" Gabriella said.

"Morning mommy. Daddy said that you were sick" Robert said.

"I got sick last night. But, I'm okay. I don't want you to worry about me" Gabriella said.

Robert and Gabriella lied in bed in silence. Robert then sat up.

"I'll come check on you in a little while, mommy" Robert said.

"Okay, baby. Thank you" Gabriella said.

Robert got off the bed and walked out of the room. An hour later, Robert returned to the bedroom. He climbed onto the bed.

"What is that, bud?" Gabriella asked.

"I drew you a picture to make you feel better" Robert said.

Gabriella took the picture and looked at it. She smiled. It was a picture of her, Troy, Robert and the babies.

"Thank you honey. I love it" Gabriella said.

Robert smiled.

"I am going to get up and come downstairs" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Robert said.

Gabriella got out of bed and held her hand out to her son. Robert took her hand and they walked out of the room and went downstairs. Troy was in the kitchen drinking a cup of coffee when Gabriella and Robert came in.

"Hey guys" Troy said.

"Daddy I drew mommy a picture of us and the babies" Robert said.

Gabriella handed the picture to Troy.

"This is so good, Rob. Let's put it on the fridge, okay?" Troy said.

Robert walked to the refrigerator and put the picture on it. Troy looked at Gabriella, who looked significantly better than last night.

"How are you feeling, Brie?" Troy asked.

"Better. I just feel really tired and nauseous" Gabriella said.

"Is there anything I can do?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shook her head. She walked closer to Troy and wrapped her arms around him.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

"I love you too" Troy said.

Gabriella leaned in and kissed Troy's lips. Troy looked down at Gabriella.

"What?" Gabriella asked.

Troy put his hand on Gabriella's stomach and smiled.

"Babies are showing early" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"Or I am just bloated" Gabriella said.

Troy placed his hand on Gabriella's stomach.

"I think those are babies" Troy said.

Gabriella pulled her shirt up a little bit. She looked down and smiled.

"What do you think?" Troy asked.

"Babies" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"That's a good thing, right?" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I'm just kind of in shock that it happened so fast" Gabriella said.

"There are two babies in there. You'll probably grow much faster than with just one" Troy said.

"Yeah" Gabriella said as she brushed her hand over her stomach.

Gabriella let her shirt fall down over her stomach.

"What's the plan today?" Troy asked.

"I have to go into the office today" Gabriella said.

"Okay, anything else?" Troy asked.

"We need to figure out preschools for Rob" Gabriella said.

"Okay. How about while I am at my office I call preschools?" Troy suggested.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

"Just to take some of the pressure off" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"Thanks, babe. I really appreciate it" Gabriella said kissing Troy's lips.

Troy pulled away slowly.

"No problem. I want to help as much as I can" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"I'm going to go get ready to go" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Troy said kissing Gabriella's lips one last time.

Gabriella walked upstairs and got ready for work. A couple weeks later, Gabriella's bump had grown significantly. One day, Robert walked downstairs to the kitchen. Gabriella was cutting up fruit and putting it into a bowl for him.

"Here you go, Rob" Gabriella said.

Robert took the bowl of fruit but stood next to Gabriella. Gabriella looked at Robert.

"Is something wrong, bud?" Gabriella asked.

"Mommy your belly" Robert said.

Gabriella looked at her four-year-old son who looked completely freaked out. She then looked down and realized that he was still trying to what was happening. Gabriella motioned for Robert to come sit with her at the table. Gabriella and Robert sat down at the table.

"Rob remember when daddy and I talked to you about the babies?" Gabriella asked.

Robert nodded.

"Remember how we told you that the babies are going to grow in mommy's tummy until they are healthy and strong enough to come out?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah" Robert said as he ate a piece of his fruit.

"That's what's happening, sweetheart. The babies are growing in my tummy, which makes my tummy grow too" Gabriella said.

"Oh" Robert said.

Gabriella smiled.

"Do you understand what's happening to mommy?" Gabriella asked.

Robert nodded.

"Sorry for looking at you weird mommy" Robert said.

Gabriella smiled.

"It's okay baby. If I saw someone's belly growing and I didn't know what was happening, I would be scared too. But there is nothing to be scared of, right? Even though the babies are growing and I may look different, I am still your mommy" Gabriella said.

Robert nodded.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

"I love you too" Robert said.

Robert and Gabriella finished their fruit. Robert handed his bowl to Gabriella and walked upstairs. Troy came downstairs a couple minutes later.

"I officially freaked out our son" Gabriella said.

"Why?" Troy asked.

"The bump is growing and he stood there like he had seen a ghost. I talked to him about it and he understands what's happening" Gabriella said.

"It's just different" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"When are you going to the office?" Troy asked.

"As soon as I get dressed" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Troy said.

Gabriella walked upstairs and got dressed. She then came downstairs and went into the living room.

"I'll be back in a little while" Gabriella said.

"Okay. Be safe" Troy said.

"I will. Love you" Gabriella said kissing Troy's lips.

"Love you too. Rob, say goodbye to mommy" Troy said.

Robert walked quickly over to Gabriella. Gabriella kneeled down and opened her arms. Robert walked into them.

"Bye baby. I'll be back soon. I love you" Gabriella said.

"I love you" Robert said.

Troy smiled. Gabriella left the house. That afternoon, Gabriella opened the front door and walked into the house. She smiled when she saw Taylor and Eli sitting on the couch with Robert.

"Hey guys" Gabriella said.

"Mommy" Robert said.

"Hi baby, did you have fun with Auntie Tay and Eli? When did Troy leave, Tay?" Gabriella asked.

"He left an hour ago. He said that he was going to try and be home soon" Taylor said.

Gabriella nodded.

"How are you feeling?" Taylor asked.

Gabriella turned dark red.

"Tay" Gabriella started.

"Chad said that Troy told him by accident. I'm not mad" Taylor said.

Gabriella sighed in relief.

"I'm nauseated and exhausted way more than I was when I was pregnant with Rob" Gabriella said.

Taylor nodded.

"Did the doctor say when you will be able to find out the sexes?" Taylor asked.

Gabriella shook her head.

"We will ask at the next appointment. I think we want to know before they are born this time around" Gabriella said.

"That's exciting. What are you hoping for?" Taylor asked.

"I honestly don't care as long as they are both healthy. Troy has the same mindset too. Rob wants one of each" Gabriella said.

"You want a brother and a sister, Rob?" Taylor asked.

"Yeah" Robert said.

Gabriella smiled.

"He said that because Troy has him, we need a girl for me" Gabriella said.

"That's so cute" Taylor said.

The two women talked for a while until Taylor and Eli left the house.

"Did you have fun with Auntie Tay and Eli, bud?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah. Is daddy still at work?" Robert asked.

"Yeah, he will be home soon" Gabriella said.

Gabriella felt a wave of nausea come over her. She quickly walked upstairs and into the bathroom. Gabriella sat in front of the toilet and released the remains of her stomach. Meanwhile, Robert was downstairs. He heard the front door open and saw Troy.

"Daddy, I think mommy is sick" Robert said.

Troy grew concerned instantly.

"Where is she at, Rob?" Troy asked.

"Upstairs" Robert said.

Troy jogged upstairs with Robert following him. Troy walked into the bedroom and went into the bathroom. He saw Gabriella hovering over the toilet. Troy grabbed a hair tie and pulled his wife's hair back. He rubbed her back soothingly. A couple minutes later, Gabriella moved away from the toilet.

"You okay, baby?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded shakily.

"How did you know I was up here?" Gabriella asked.

"Rob told me that you were sick and he looked really freaked out when I walked into the house. I assumed that you were up here throwing up" Troy said.

Gabriella took a deep breath and released it. Troy helped Gabriella stand up. He flushed the toilet. Gabriella went to the sink and brushed her teeth. The couple opened the bathroom door a little more and saw Robert sitting on their bed waiting for Gabriella.

"Mommy, are you okay?" Robert asked.

Gabriella opened her arms. Robert walked into them.

"I'm okay. Thank you for telling daddy that I was up here, bud" Gabriella said.

"It scared me" Robert said.

"I know and I am sorry. But, I am okay now" Gabriella said.

"Really?" Robert asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

"I love you too. Mommy don't scare me like that anymore" Robert said.

Troy and Gabriella smiled.

"I'll try not to baby. Are you okay?" Gabriella asked.

Robert nodded.

"Okay. Go play" Gabriella said.

Robert left the room. Gabriella stood up and looked at Troy.

"You okay?" Troy asked.

"I feel bad that he saw me like that" Gabriella said.

"Me too. But, I'm glad that he came and told me when I got home" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. The rest of the day, the little family tried to come to terms that there would be two babies joining their family very soon.


	17. Taking Care of Mommy

A couple of weeks later, Gabriella and Troy were in the waiting room of Dr. A's office with Robert. Robert had wanted to see what the babies looked like. Gabriella's name was called, and the little family followed a nurse into a room so that Gabriella's vitals could be taken. They were then escorted into an exam room. Gabriella quickly changed into the gown that the nurse had given her and sat on the exam table. Robert was sitting on Troy's lap.

"Are you excited to see the babies, Rob?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah. When am I going to know if it is a boy or a girl?" Robert asked.

"It depends on them, bud. The babies may need to grow a little more before we can tell" Troy said.

"Oh" Robert said.

There was a knock on the door and Dr. A came into the room.

"Hi guys, and who is this little guy?" Dr. A asked.

The couple smiled. Gabriella looked at Robert.

"Tell her your name, baby" Gabriella said.

"Robert. But, Rob for short" Robert said.

Dr. A kneeled to Robert's level and held out her hand.

"Hi Rob, my name is Dr. A. I'm your mommy's doctor" Dr. A said.

Robert shook the doctor's hand. Troy smiled.

"Are you excited to see the babies today?" Dr. A asked.

Robert nodded.

"I want a brother and a sister" Robert said.

Gabriella and Troy giggled.

"He's been really adamant on that" Gabriella said.

Dr. A smiled. She stood back up and looked at Gabriella.

"How are you feeling, Gabi?" Dr. A asked.

"Tired, nauseous all the time, and swollen" Gabriella said.

"That doesn't sound fun. You ready to see the babies?" Dr. A asked.

"Yeah" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Dr. A said.

Dr. A turned on the ultrasound.

"Daddy, what is that?" Robert asked.

Troy smiled.

"That's a machine that we can see the babies on" Troy said.

Gabriella looked at the boys and smiled. Once the ultrasound heated, Dr. A put a blanket over Gabriella's legs and lifted her gown above her bellybutton. She then grabbed a bottle of gel and squeezed some of the product onto Gabriella's stomach.

"That's the gel. Dr. A is going to use a wand to move that gel around so that we can see the babies on the machine" Troy explained to his son.

"You guys ready?" Dr. A asked.

Everyone nodded. Dr. A started to move the gel around with the wand. Robert looked at the monitor.

"Where are they, daddy?" Robert asked.

"Hold on, bud. It takes a minute" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled at how excited Robert was to see his siblings. Dr. A moved the wand around Gabriella's stomach and smiled.

"There they are, guys" Dr. A said.

Troy, Gabriella, and Robert looked at the monitor.

"I don't see anything, mommy" Robert asked.

"They are really small, Rob. They are as big as a lime" Gabriella said.

"Are they healthy?" Troy asked.

Dr. A nodded.

"Yeah, they are looking good. There is baby A and there is baby B. What do you think, Rob?" Dr. A asked as she pointed out the two babies.

Robert smiled. He then became shy and hid his face in his father's shoulder. Troy smiled and rubbed his back.

"You happy, buddy?" Troy asked looking down at his son.

Robert nodded. Gabriella smiled.

"They are really small, huh?" Gabriella said.

Robert nodded.

"But then why is your tummy growing?" Robert asked.

Gabriella giggled.

"Because even though the babies are small, they are growing all the time. They are a lot bigger than last time" Gabriella said.

"Oh" Robert said.

"I'm going to print these pictures for you guys, and I will be right back" Dr. A said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Dr. A left the room. A couple of minutes later, Dr. A knocked on the door and walked back into the room.

"Okay. I just need to do an exam, Gabi and then you will be all set" Dr. A said handing Troy the sonogram of the twins.

"Alright" Gabriella said.

Gabriella looked at Troy.

"Can you take him out, please?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah" Troy said.

Troy and Rob left the room. Dr. A conducted her exam.

"Everything looks great. I will see you back in a month. Don't hesitate to call if you have any questions" Dr. A said.

"Okay" Gabriella said sitting up.

Dr. A left the room. Gabriella got off the exam table and changed back into her clothes. She then opened the door and saw Troy and Rob standing against the opposite wall.

"You boys ready to go?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah" Troy said.

The little family walked out of the office. They got into the car. Troy looked at Gabriella.

"Is everything okay?" Troy asked referring to her exam.

Gabriella nodded.

"She said that everything looks great" Gabriella said.

"Good" Troy said.

"The babies are healthy right, mommy?" Robert asked.

Gabriella smiled. She turned around as far as she could to look at her son.

"Yeah, baby. They are healthy" Gabriella said.

"They will come out soon then" Robert said.

Troy smiled.

"Not yet, bud. They have to stay in mommy's belly for a few months so that they grow a little more" Troy said.

"Okay" Robert said.

"Did you like seeing the babies on the monitor?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah. They are so small though, mommy" Robert said.

"Yeah. You were once that small too" Gabriella said.

The little family drove home. That night, Troy came into the bedroom after having a phone meeting.

"How did it go?" Gabriella asked.

"Fine. There are some things that need to be adjusted. But we got it sorted out" Troy said.

"Good. Rob's asleep" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded. He walked out of the room and went into his son's room. Troy kneeled and kissed Robert's head. He then quietly left the room. Troy walked back into the bedroom and unbuttoned his shirt.

"Rob seems excited about the babies" Troy said.

"Yeah. It's really cute" Gabriella said.

"He's asking questions that you would if you were his age" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"He's going to be the best big brother" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded. He took his pants off and climbed into bed. Troy turned so that he was laying on his side and looking at Gabriella. He placed his hand on Gabriella's growing bump. Gabriella pulled her shirt up so that Troy could see her bump. Troy leaned down and kissed her bump twice. Gabriella smiled.

"Are you worried about the babies?" Troy asked.

Gabriella smiled.

"It is a little scarier because there are two babies" Gabriella said.

"What's scary?" Troy asked.

"Everything. I will gain a lot more weight than with Rob. We have to figure out what's going to happen job-wise. Carrying two babies at the same time" Gabriella confessed.

Troy placed his hand on Gabriella's cheek. Gabriella leaned into his touch.

"You will always be the most beautiful girl I know. No matter how much weight you gain from these babies. I can agree that because there are two, it may be a little crazy. But you have me to help you. If you are worried about anything, you know that you can always talk to me" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"You will still love me when I'm hormonal and fat?" Gabriella asked.

Troy smiled.

"I will always love you. No matter what" Troy said.

Gabriella leaned in and kissed Troy's lips softly. Troy kissed Gabriella and pulled back slowly.

"I love you so much, Troy" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He kissed her forehead softly.

"I love you too. Get some sleep, baby. You are sleeping for three now" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Wake me up if you need me" Troy said.

Gabriella fell asleep with a smile on her face. Even though there have been a lot of hard times, Troy has always stuck by her side. A couple of weeks later, Gabriella's bump had grown a lot. She was starting to become uncomfortable. Her feet were swelling. Her face was swelling. She was craving weird foods. She was getting more emotional than she had ever been. Troy supported her through it all. Robert had even helped too. One day, Robert came downstairs. He saw Gabriella lying on the couch and walked over to her.

"Mommy, do you need anything?" Robert asked.

Gabriella smiled.

"No baby. I'm okay. But, thank you for asking. What were you doing upstairs?" Gabriella asked as she patted an empty spot next to her.

"Playing with my basketball players" Robert said.

"Oh. Who won?" Gabriella asked as Robert rested his head on her shoulder.

"They won. We lost because one of the players slipped on the floor" Robert said.

"Oh" Gabriella said.

Robert sat with his mother for a while. He asked her again if she needed anything before going back upstairs. Gabriella smiled to herself. Robert was an exact twin of Troy and she loved that about him. Troy opened the front door and walked into the living room.

"Hi honey" Troy said kissing Gabriela's lips.

"Hi, how was the office?" Gabriella asked placing her hand on her growing bump.

"Fine. I got a lot of work done. How are you feeling?" Troy asked sitting next to her.

"Fine. A little achy, but nothing major. Rob just came down and asked me too" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Good. How are your feet?" Troy asked.

"They ache. I feel like this is only the beginning of it" Gabriella said.

Troy moved to the other end of the couch. He grabbed Gabriella's foot and took off her sock. Troy then started to massage his wife's foot gently. Gabriella moaned.

"Feel good?" Troy asked.

Gabriella closed her eyes and nodded. A couple of minutes later, Troy grabbed Gabriella's other foot and did the same. When he finished, Gabriella opened her eyes slowly.

"Thank you" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"No problem, sweetheart. Anything else hurting?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shook her head. Troy was about to get up, but Gabriella put her hand on Troy's arm.

"Don't go" Gabriella said.

Troy saw tears forming in his wife's eyes. Gabriella moved back to her original position. She snuggled into Troy's side. Troy placed his hand on Gabriella's bump.

"I'm sorry" Gabriella mumbled.

"Don't be. You have a lot happening in your body, baby" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"When are we going to find out what the babies are?" Troy asked changing the subject.

"Hopefully next month" Gabriella said.

"So, after we do that, we have to figure out where we are going to put them" Troy confirmed.

Gabriella nodded.

"I know that they will be in our room for a while. But, when they are bigger, we need to figure out something" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"We can figure that out when we get to that point. There is no reason you need to be stressing out over that right now" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. A couple of days later, Lucille was at the house. She had insisted on helping Gabriella with anything that she needed. Gabriella had told her everything was under control. But she brought up the twins and how she needed to take care of herself. Gabriella texted Troy because she was about to go crazy.

_Can you come home, please?_

A couple of minutes later, Gabriella's phone vibrated. She looked at the message.

_In the middle of a meeting. What's wrong? Are you feeling okay? _

Gabriella rolled her eyes.

_Your mom is here and I am starting to have mood swings. She's trying to tell me that I need to take care of myself _

A couple of moments later, Gabriella's phone vibrated.

_Babe, she is just trying to help_

Gabriella threw her phone and groaned. An hour later, Troy opened the front door and saw his mother sitting in the living room with Robert.

"Hi guys" Troy said.

"Daddy!" Robert said happily.

"What's up, Rob? Where's mommy?" Troy asked.

"She went upstairs" Robert said.

"She has been up there for a while" Lucille said.

Troy nodded. He went upstairs and into the bedroom. Gabriella was laying on their bed. Troy walked over to the bed and sat on the edge.

"Brie" Troy said.

"You aren't helping this" Gabriella said.

Troy gently placed his hand on Gabriella's side.

"Sweetheart, she was just trying to help" Troy said softly.

Gabriella turned over and looked at Troy.

"I don't need help! I am a grown woman who just happens to be having twins. I can do everything everyone else can" Gabriella said.

Troy took a deep breath and released it.

"No one is saying that you can't do anything, Brie. We just want to take the pressure off you" Troy said.

Gabriella was silent.

"Just leave please" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Troy said.

Troy walked out of the room and closed the door behind him. He walked downstairs and into the living room.

"Where's Gabi?" Lucille asked.

"She's really hormonal. She says that she is mad that you apparently told her that she needs to take care of herself" Troy said.

Lucille's face softened.

"I didn't mean to offend her, Troy" Lucille said.

"I know. Gabs is just starting to have a bunch of mood swings. I can take care of it" Troy said.

"Please tell her that I'm sorry if I offended her" Lucille said.

Troy smiled and nodded. Lucille left the house. Troy sat down on the couch with Robert and watched a movie. Two hours later, Troy heard movement coming from the stairs. Gabriella walked into the room a couple of moments later. She walked over to the center island where Troy was now sitting with his laptop. Gabriella looked at Troy, who looked at her.

"She was just trying to help, and I was a jerk" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He kissed Gabriella's head softly.

"It's alright, baby. She understands. Are you okay now?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"Sorry that I got mad at you" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"It's okay. But I do want to talk about one thing that you said" Troy said.

"What's that?" Gabriella asked.

"You said that you are a grown woman who just happens to be having twins and that you can do everything everyone else can. Brie, that is true. But you have to be extra careful because you are carrying babies" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. She placed her hand on her bump.

"I just want to keep you and the babies safe and so does everyone else" Troy said.

"I know" Gabriella said.

"So, are we okay?" Troy asked.

Gabriella wrapped her arms around Troy. Troy kissed Gabriella's cheek and wrapped his arm around her back.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"I love you too baby" Troy said.

Gabriella leaned in and kissed Troy's lips. Troy pulled away and saw Robert from the corner of his eye.

"Hey bud" Troy said.

"Mommy, are you okay?" Robert asked.

Gabriella smiled and motioned for Robert to come closer to the couple. Gabriella carefully placed Robert on her lap.

"I'm okay. Mommy was just having a talk with daddy" Gabriella said.

"Grandma was worried about you" Robert said.

Troy smiled.

"I'm okay. I promise. The babies just make me sometimes feel weird" Gabriella said.

"Weird like what?" Robert asked.

"Bud, sometimes the babies make mommy a little sad, happy, or mad. She doesn't mean anything she says when she is like that. The babies are just trying to get comfortable in her belly" Troy explained.

"So then is mommy happy, sad, or mad?" Robert asked.

"Well now I am happy because you are here" Gabriella said kissing her son's cheek.

Troy smiled. The little family talked about the changes that Gabriella was going through. Troy and Gabriella tried to help Robert understand what Gabriella was experiencing.


	18. We Are Having

A few weeks later, Troy had come home with Rob from his first day of preschool. Gabriella was so anxious about Rob coming home that she literally wore herself out and was currently taking a nap on the couch. The two boys walked into the living room. Troy put his finger to his mouth motioning for Rob to be quiet so that his mother could sleep. Troy took Rob's lunchbox and made sure that it was empty. He put it away. Troy then went to the refrigerator and grabbed some fruit and cut it up for him and Rob to share. He put the fruit in the bowl and handed it to his son.

"Daddy, can I go say hi to mommy?" Robert whispered.

"In a little bit. She needs to take a nap. The babies are getting bigger and she needs her rest" Troy whispered back.

"Okay" Robert whispered.

The two boys ate the bowl of fruit. Troy brought the empty bowl to the dishwasher and placed it into it. The two boys walked upstairs so that Gabriella could have a solid nap. A couple of hours later, Gabriella woke up. She looked around the room and forgot that she had taken a nap in the living room. Gabriella looked at her phone and saw that it was four in the afternoon. She got up with the help of the arm of the couch. Gabriella walked upstairs and followed the voices of her husband and son. She walked into Robert's room and leaned against the door frame. Troy was the first one to notice Gabriella standing at the door.

"Hey baby, how was your nap?" Troy asked.

"You should have woken me up when you guys got home" Gabriella said.

"We wanted to let you sleep" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled softly. Troy got up and helped Gabriella sit down on the rocking chair that was in Robert's room. He then sat back down in his original place on the floor. Robert got up and walked over to Gabriella. He reached for her. Gabriella smiled and leaned closer to him and kissed his cheek.

"Rob, now that the babies are getting bigger, I can't have you sit on my lap for a while, okay?" Gabriella said.

Tears filled Robert's eyes. He started to cry. Gabriella hugged her son and rubbed his back. Troy smiled sympathetically.

"Mommy, I just want to hug you though" Robert cried.

"I know baby. I can still hug you. I just can't have you on my lap. I don't want to hurt you, or the babies" Gabriella said.

"So, I can still hug you?" Robert asked innocently.

Gabriella smiled. She motioned for Robert to come close to her. Gabriella hugged her son and kissed his cheek.

"I love you so much" Gabriella said.

"I love you too mommy" Robert said.

"You can still hug me too. But I guess I can wait" Troy joked.

Robert and Gabriella looked at Troy. Robert let go of his mother and ran into Troy's arms. Troy fell backward onto the floor.

"We love you, Rob" Troy said looking at his son.

That night, Troy was working on his laptop. He was downstairs in the kitchen. It was one in the morning. Troy was thinking about a lot of things. Gabriella, Robert, the babies, and just everything. He didn't want to stress Gabriella out with all his thoughts but knew that he had to eventually tell her and get it off his chest. Troy was so wrapped up in his work that he didn't hear Gabriella come into the room. Gabriella wrapped her arms around Troy's shoulders from behind and leaned her head against his.

"You okay?" Gabriella asked.

Troy smiled.

"Just thinking" Troy said looking at Gabriella.

"About what?" Gabriella asked.

Troy offered Gabriella his lap.

"I'm too heavy" Gabriella said.

Troy closed his laptop and stood up. He took Gabriella's hand and they walked into the living room. The couple sat on the couch. Gabriella saw how anxious Troy was.

"I know that you are worried" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly. Gabriella kissed Troy and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Troy pulled away slowly and left his forehead touching Gabriella's.

"You know that you can talk to me about that stuff, right?" Gabriella said softly.

Troy nodded. He looked down and placed his hand on Gabriella's bump.

"I just don't want to stress you out" Troy said softly.

Gabriella smiled slightly. She put her finger under Troy's chin and brought him to her level. Gabriella kissed Troy's lips again. Troy kissed Gabriella and pulled away slowly. Troy smiled. Gabriella placed her hand on Troy's cheek. Troy put his hand on top of Gabriella's.

"Come on" Gabriella said pulling herself up with the help of the table.

Troy took Gabriella's hand and they walked upstairs. Once they got to their bedroom, Gabriella shut the door. She walked over to Troy, who was taking his shirt off. Troy looked at her and smiled.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded. Clothes were discarded. The couple made love for the first time since they found out that Gabriella was pregnant with the twins. After their activities, Gabriella was snuggled as she close as she could get into Troy.

"These babies are going to have an amazing dad" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"I hope so" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"You are an amazing dad to Rob. I know that you will be an amazing dad to the twins too" Gabriella said.

"I just hope they all know that I will love them equally" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"That thought shows how much you care about them. You want the best for them" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded. He placed his hand on Gabriella's bare bump. Gabriella yawned.

"Get some sleep, okay?" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly. The couple fell asleep. The next morning, Troy took Rob to preschool. When he came back, he walked into the kitchen and saw Gabriella in one of his t-shirts and no pants. Her bump was caused ripples in the shirt. Troy smiled. She looked so beautiful.

"Hey" Troy said softly.

Gabriella looked at Troy. Troy saw tears running down her face.

"What's wrong?" Troy asked.

"Peed myself" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled sympathetically.

"So that's why you have this number going on?" Troy asked referring to her choice of clothing.

Gabriella turned red and nodded. Troy walked closer to Gabriella. He wrapped his arms around Gabriella and kissed her head softly.

"They are just trying to get comfortable in there" Troy said.

"Yeah" Gabriella said.

Gabriella rested her head on Troy's chest and felt his chest rise and fall with every breath he took.

"I think this outfit is pretty cute" Troy said.

Gabriella groaned.

"It is" Troy said.

"You have to say that" Gabriella said.

"No, I don't" Troy said.

"This is all that feels comfy right now" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"They are just growing a lot" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy rubbed Gabriella's back. She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around her husband.

"I love you" Troy said.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

"How are you feeling about this next appointment?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shrugged.

"I gave up on trying to guess what they are" Gabriella said.

Troy chuckled.

"What do you want?" Gabriella asked.

Troy smiled.

"Healthy twin babies and a healthy mommy. That's all I care about" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"If we keep up this momentum, I think they will be pretty healthy" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded. He leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips.

"I'm going to take a shower" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Troy said.

Gabriella walked out of the room and went upstairs and took a shower. Twenty minutes later, Gabriella came downstairs and saw Troy on the phone. Troy looked at Gabriella and smiled. Gabriella assumed it was one of his employees at one of the branches of his company. An hour later, Troy got off the phone and walked over to Gabriella, who was trying to figure out what she was craving.

"What are we eating?" Troy asked.

"I'm trying to decide" Gabriella said.

"I can go out and get something for you too if you want" Troy said.

Gabriella shook her head. She went to the fridge and pulled out a sliced cheese. She then went to the cabinet and pulled out two slices of bread. Gabriella thought to herself. Troy smiled and chuckled to himself. She looked so cute when she was thinking. Gabriella walked back to the refrigerator and pulled out relish. Troy scrunched his nose. He figured out what she wanted. Troy watched Gabriella make her grilled cheese sandwich with relish. Gabriella then cut the sandwich in half and looked at Troy.

"Do you want one?" Gabriella asked.

Troy smiled.

"No thank you. You and the babies need it more than I do" Troy said.

Gabriella shrugged. She took a bite of her sandwich and smiled. Troy smiled at how proud she was of her sandwich.

"How is it?" Troy asked.

"You probably think it's gross- "Gabriella started.

"I never said that babe" Troy said.

Gabriella looked at Troy. Troy looked at Gabriella.

"It's pretty good" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Good" Troy said.

Gabriella finished her sandwich. She placed everything in the dishwasher and then looked at Troy. Gabriella walked over to Troy and wrapped her arms around him. Troy smiled.

"You okay, sweetheart?" Troy asked

Gabriella nodded.

"I just want to be close to you" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"I know that all the hormones just came out of nowhere but it's just how I am feeling" Gabriella said.

"That's okay, baby. Your hormones are going crazy because there are two babies in here" Troy said placing his hand on Gabriella's bump.

Gabriella nodded.

"Sorry if it's too much" Gabriella said.

"It's not and I don't want you to worry about that. If you feel some type of way, don't worry about how it looks to me. I understand what's happening, Brie" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled slightly.

"I'm not crazy looking?" Gabriella asked.

Troy shook his head.

"You are pregnant with twins. If I was the one pregnant with twins, I would be the same way" Troy said.

Gabriella giggled.

"You would be a cute pregnant guy" Gabriella said.

Troy shook his head.

"I don't know about that. I have you to compete with" Troy joked.

Gabriella smiled. She leaned in and kissed Troy's lips. Troy kissed her back.

"I love you Troy" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"I love you too baby" Troy said.

That night, Gabriella tossed and turned. She continued this for about an hour until Troy turned on his bedside lamp.

"I'm sorry" Gabriella murmured.

"It's okay. What's going on, Brie?" Troy asked sitting up.

"I ache, Troy" Gabriella cried.

Troy's face softened.

"I'm so tired. I feel bad because you are tired, and you have been taking care of everything" Gabriella cried.

"Baby don't worry about me. I am a big boy and can handle being tired. I love you taking care of you. Where are do you feel achy?" Troy asked.

Gabriella motioned to her back, stomach, and legs.

"Okay. Would it help if we walk around the house? Maybe you just need to stretch out a little bit" Troy said.

"I'll try it" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Troy said.

Troy got out of bed. He walked to Gabriella's side and helped his wife get out of bed. He wrapped his arm around Gabriella's waist and the couple walked downstairs. The couple walked around for a good hour. Troy looked at his tired, four-and-a-half-month pregnant wife.

"How do you feel, baby?" Troy asked.

"A little better" Gabriella said softly.

Troy smiled sympathetically.

"Do you want to go back to bed or do you want to walk around a little more?" Troy asked.

"Go back to sleep" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Troy said.

The couple walked back upstairs and into their bedroom. Troy helped Gabriella get into bed and tucked her in. Troy walked to his side of the bed and got in. He looked at Gabriella.

"If you feel worse, wake me up okay?" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded tiredly.

"Alright. Try to get some sleep" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He kissed Gabriella's forehead. The couple fell asleep. Two weeks later, Gabriella woke up very excited. She shook Troy so that he would wake up. Troy sat up fast.

"What? What's wrong?" Troy asked.

Gabriella giggled.

"Sorry baby. I'm just so excited" Gabriella said.

Troy sighed and closed his eyes.

"Gabriella do not scare me like that" Troy said.

"I'm sorry" Gabriella said.

There was a moment of silence. Troy looked at Gabriella.

"How long have you been up?" Troy asked.

"A couple of hours" Gabriella said.

"Brie" Troy started.

"I am just really excited. Aren't you excited?" Gabriella asked.

Troy smiled.

"I'm excited sweetheart. But you need your rest. You can't stay up all night like that" Troy said.

Gabriella placed her hand on her growing bump.

"I promise when we come home from Dr. A's I will take a nap" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Troy said.

Gabriella moved closer to Troy and leaned in and kissed his lips.

"Good morning" Gabriella said sweetly.

Troy smiled. Gabriella was so excited. It made Troy so happy to see her this way.

"Good morning" Troy said.

"Come on, let's go" Gabriella said.

"Brie, your appointment isn't for a couple more hours" Troy said looking at the clock next to his side of the bed.

"I know but- "Gabriella started.

"Baby, relax. Running around isn't going to make the time go faster. It's only going to make you tired" Troy said.

Gabriella sighed in defeat. Troy smiled. He leaned over and kissed Gabriella's lips.

"I'm going to go get Rob ready for the day and take him to school" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Troy got up and walked down the hall to Robert's room. He smiled when he saw his son already dressed.

"Just like Gabriella" Troy mumbled.

"Hi daddy" Robert said.

"Hi buddy. You ready to eat something and go to school?" Troy asked.

"Yeah" Robert said.

"Okay. Come on" Troy said.

The two boys walked downstairs to the kitchen. Troy got Robert's breakfast ready. He set his cereal down in front of him. Troy sat across from his son.

"Rob, do you know what today is?" Troy asked.

Robert thought to himself and shook his head.

"Today we get to find out if the babies are boys or girls" Troy said.

Robert's eyes widened.

"You excited?" Troy asked.

Robert nodded.

"When you come home from school, we will tell you what the babies are" Troy said.

"Okay" Robert said.

Robert finished eating. Troy took his bowl and spoon and placed it in the dishwasher. The two boys walked upstairs and into Troy and Gabriella's bedroom. Robert climbed onto the bed.

"Are you ready for school, bud?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah. Mommy, we get to find out if the babies are boys or girls today" Robert said excitedly.

Gabriella giggled. Troy smiled.

"Yeah. Are you excited?" Gabriella asked.

"Yes! Mommy, we need one girl for you and a boy for daddy" Robert said.

The couple laughed.

"We will see" Gabriella said.

Robert said goodbye to his mother and Troy took him to school. Ten minutes later, Troy came home and smiled when he saw Gabriella dressed and in the kitchen.

"You grew overnight" Troy said placing his hand on Gabriella's stomach.

"I know. I am feeling it" Gabriella said.

"Is your back hurting?" Troy asked.

"Everything hurts, Troy" Gabriella said hormonally.

Troy smiled sympathetically. He wrapped his arms around Gabriella's shoulders from behind. Troy kissed her neck softly.

"I'm sorry baby. Is there anything that I can do?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shook her head.

"Four months until I am sending an eviction notice to these two" Gabriella said looking down at her bump.

Troy smiled and kissed her shoulder. They left the house and drove to Dr. A's office. Gabriella signed herself in and sat next to Troy. Troy chuckled at how excited Gabriella was. He leaned over and kissed Gabriella's cheek.

"I'm going to pee because I am so excited" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Just don't go on me" Troy joked.

Gabriella's name was called. Troy stood up and helped Gabriella stand. They followed the nurse into a room where Gabriella's vitals were taken. The couple was then escorted into an exam room. Gabriella changed into a gown and sat down on the exam table.

"Last guesses?" Gabriella asked.

Troy smiled.

"Two healthy babies and one healthy mommy" Troy said.

Gabriella groaned.

"Troy" Gabriella whined.

"Brie" Troy imitated.

There was a knock on the door. Dr. A walked in and smiled.

"Hi guys. No Rob today?" Dr. A asked.

The couple smiled and shook their heads.

"He just started preschool. But he knows we are going to find out what the babies are today" Gabriella said.

"Is he excited?" Dr. A asked.

"Very" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"He's already protective of his mom. He's going to be protective of his siblings too" Troy said.

Dr. A smiled.

"That's so cute. So, let's look and see if we can tell the sexes of the babies" Dr. A said.

Gabriella nodded. She lied back and took a deep breath in and released it. Troy took Gabriella's hand in his own and kissed it gently. Dr. A put a blanket over Gabriella's legs and then raised her gown above her bump. Dr. A turned the ultrasound on and let it heat up. Once it was heated, Dr. A squeezed the gel onto Gabriella's expanding stomach. She then took the wand and looked at the couple.

"We ready?" Dr. A asked.

Troy looked at Gabriella, who looked at him. They then turned to look at the monitor. Dr. A moved the gel around Gabriella's stomach.

"There's baby A. Let's see if we can see the sex" Dr. A said.

Dr. A moved the wand around Gabriella's stomach again and then smiled.

"Baby A is a boy" Dr. A said.

Gabriella's eyes filled with tears. Troy looked at Gabriella and kissed her lips softly. Dr. A continued to move the wand around Gabriella's bump.

"There's baby B" Dr. A said.

Dr. A moved the wand around Gabriella's bump and smiled. She looked at the couple.

"Baby B is a girl. Congratulations, guys!" Dr. A said.

Gabriella started to cry. Troy kissed Gabriella's forehead softly.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

"I love you too, baby. Another boy and a girl. Rob was right" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded tearfully.

"Thank you" Gabriella said to Dr. A.

"I'm going to print these pictures for you, and I will be back in a moment" Dr. A said.

The couple nodded. Dr. A left the room.

"How do you feel, sweetheart?" Troy asked.

"So happy. How do you feel?" Gabriella asked.

"I'm so happy. A girl is what we wanted to begin with" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy leaned over and kissed Gabriella's lips. There was a knock on the door and Dr. A came back into the room. She handed Troy the sonogram of their son and daughter. Dr. A then looked at Gabriella.

"Okay, I just need to do an exam and then I'll get you guys out of here" Dr. A said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Dr. A conducted her exam. A couple of hours later, Troy had gone to pick Robert up. The couple had found a cute way to reveal the gender of the babies to their son. Gabriella had picked up two cupcakes and asked to fill the inside of one with pink frosting and one with blue frosting. Gabriella heard the door open and little footsteps coming closer. Robert came into the kitchen.

"Mommy, daddy said that you found out what the babies are" Robert said.

Gabriella kneeled carefully in front of her son.

"We did. Go grab a chair. We are going to show you right now" Gabriella said.

Robert carried a chair over to the center island and stood on it. He saw the two cupcakes. Troy leaned against the wall and watched.

"There is frosting in the middle of both. If there is blue frosting, it means you are going to have a little brother. If there is pink frosting, it means that you are going to have a little sister, okay?" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Robert said.

Robert picked up the first one and looked at it. Troy chuckled.

"Take a bite, bud" Troy said.

Robert took a bite of the cupcake and squealed with his mouth full. He chewed and swallowed the piece of cake.

"Mommy, it's a boy!" Robert said.

The couple smiled.

"Yeah. You are going to have a little brother. But there is one more, Rob" Gabriella said.

Troy walked over to Gabriella and wrapped his arm around her. Robert picked up the second cupcake and looked at it. He then took a bite out of it. Robert squealed again. He chewed the piece of cake and swallowed it.

"I was right!" Robert said.

"What is it, baby?" Gabriella asked.

"It's a girl!" Robert said.


	19. He Will Always Be Our Baby

"Are you happy?" Gabriella asked.

Robert smiled and nodded. He walked over to Gabriella, who kneeled. Rob hugged his mother. Gabriella kissed Robert's cheek. Troy smiled.

"Now, we can have a good basketball game" Troy said.

"Yeah" Robert said.

"Are you going to love them so much?" Gabriella asked.

Robert nodded.

"Are you going to change their stinky diapers?" Troy asked.

Robert shook his head.

"No daddy! That's yucky!" Robert said.

"Who is going to do that then, Rob?" Troy asked jokingly.

"You and mommy" Robert said.

Gabriella smiled. That night, Gabriella climbed into bed. She was so tired. Troy walked into the bedroom and smiled.

"You going to bed?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"They are both making me so tired" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"I'm sorry baby. Do you want me to bring Rob in to say good night?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded. Troy left the room. A couple minutes later, Troy came back with Robert. Robert climbed onto the bed.

"Mommy, it's so early. Why are you going night night so early?" Robert asked.

"The babies are making me really tired, baby" Gabriella said.

"Oh" Robert said.

Gabriella motioned for Robert to come closer to her. Robert crawled over to Gabriella and leaned his head against her shoulder. Gabriella kissed her son's head.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

"I love you too. Can I give my brother and sister kisses too?" Robert asked.

Gabriella's heart warmed hearing that. She looked at Troy, who smiled.

"Sure" Gabriella said.

Robert kissed Gabriella's growing bump twice.

"Okay. Night night baby" Gabriella said.

"Night night" Robert said.

Robert got off the bed. Troy put his hand on his son's shoulders. They walked out of the room. Ten minutes later, Troy came back into the bedroom.

"That was really cute" Gabriella said.

"Yeah. But, now daddy wants to kiss them" Troy said.

Gabriella giggled. Troy lied down next to Gabriella. He looked at Gabriella for permission to lift her shirt up. Gabriella nodded.

"I only hesitate because I want you to be comfortable. I don't want you to feel like you always have to be exposed" Troy said.

Gabriella brought Troy's chin level to hers. She leaned in and kissed his lips. Troy pulled back and rested his nose against Gabriella's.

"I am comfortable. Don't worry about that" Gabriella whispered.

Troy smiled. He looked down at Gabriella's bare bump. Troy leaned down and kissed Gabriella's bump twice. Gabriella giggled. Troy looked up.

"That tickles" Gabriella said.

Troy kissed Gabriella's bump again. Gabriella giggled. Troy then started to kiss Gabriella's cheeks several times. Gabriella laughed.

"Troy, I am going to pee" Gabriella said.

"I'm not going to fall for that" Troy said kissing Gabriella.

Troy regretted his actions when he felt warmth on his hands. Gabriella gasped.

"Troy, I-" Gabriella started.

"It's okay, baby. It's my fault" Troy said.

Gabriella turned dark red in embarrassment. Troy carefully got off the bed. He walked to the cabinet and pulled out two towels. Troy set the towels on the ground. He then helped Gabriella stand up. Troy helped Gabriella walk to the bathroom. Gabriella started to cry.

"Brie, it's okay. It happens" Troy said.

"I can't even get comfortable or feel anything without something weird happening" Gabriella cried.

Troy closed the bathroom door so that they didn't wake Rob up.

"Baby, you are pregnant with twins. If that happens, it happens" Troy said.

"I'm embarrassed" Gabriella said.

"Don't be. It's normal. We know that" Troy said.

Gabriella looked at Troy. Troy smiled. He leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips.

"You take a shower. I will clean up the bed, okay?" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy left the bathroom and closed the door behind him. Gabriella took a shower. Twenty minutes later, Gabriella came out of the bathroom. She saw that Troy had stripped the bed and changed the sheets.

"Everything is in the washer" Troy said.

"Thank you baby. I'm sorry" Gabriella said.

"Don't be sorry, sweetheart. You can't help it" Troy said.

Gabriella walked to the bed and climbed into the fresh sheets. Troy climbed into bed. Gabriella leaned her head on his chest.

"Well, we know that can't happen anymore" Troy said.

Gabriella shook her head. A couple weeks later, Gabriella had been taking it easy at the office. She would bring a lot of work home with her so that she could be comfortable and not feel stressed. One day, Troy came home and saw Gabriella trying to get comfortable on the couch. He smiled. Gabriella had her laptop, case files, contracts, and pens scattered around the couch. She was wearing Troy's old wildcat sweatpants and his t-shirt that showed her expanding bump. Troy walked over to Gabriella from behind and placed a kiss on her cheek. Gabriella looked up and smiled.

"Hi baby" Gabriella said.

"Hi, what are we working on?" Troy asked kneeling behind the couch to see what she was typing.

"A trial" Gabriella said.

"Is it interesting?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"Hopefully everything goes well" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"When are you going to court?" Troy asked.

"Probably before the babies come and that will be my last case until after" Gabriella said.

"Okay. Where's Rob?" Troy asked.

"Taking a nap upstairs" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"Do you need me to do anything?" Troy asked.

Gabriella smiled and motioned for Troy to come closer to her. Troy moved closer to Gabriella. Gabriella kissed Troy's lips.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled and leaned in and kissed her.

"I love you too. I'll let you do your thing" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Two hours later, Troy and Chad were in the kitchen. Chad had come over to hang out with Troy. Troy heard footsteps coming into the kitchen and smiled when he saw Rob, who was still waking up. Robert walked over to Troy, who picked him up and placed him on his lap.

"Hey bud, how was your nap?" Troy asked his son.

"Good. Where's mommy?" Robert asked.

"Mommy went out for a little while. She will be back soon. Did you say hi to uncle Chad?" Troy asked as Rob curled up in Troy's lap.

Rob looked at Chad and smiled. Chad held his fist out to Rob, who bumped it with his own. Troy smiled.

"How do you feel about having a brother and a sister, Rob?" Chad asked.

"Good. I told my mommy and my daddy that it was going to be a boy and a girl" Robert said.

Troy chuckled.

"You must have superpowers because you were right" Chad said.

Robert giggled.

"Are you ready to have more people in the house?" Chad asked.

"Yeah. Daddy, when is mommy going to come home?" Robert asked.

"Soon. What do you think the babies are going to look like?" Troy asked.

"Your eyes and mommy's face" Robert said.

"I hope they get my eyes too. Go play" Troy said setting his son on the ground.

Robert walked out of the kitchen.

"He's been really clingy lately" Troy said.

"Things are changing. Gabi is having two babies. I'm sure he wants to be included" Chad said.

Troy nodded.

"He always tries to be close to Brie. When she leaves, he gets like how he was" Troy said.

"It will pass I am sure" Chad said.

Troy nodded. The two men talked for a while. Later that afternoon, Gabriella opened the door.

"Mommy!" Robert yelled.

Robert ran over to his mother and hugged her leg.

"Hey baby. You need to let me go so I can walk" Gabriella said.

Gabriella walked into the house and went into the living room where Troy was laying on the floor with Robert's basketball team action figures.

"Who is winning?" Gabriella asked as she sat on the couch.

"Rob's winning" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled. Robert snuggled into his mother's side. Troy smiled.

"Hey, aren't you going to finish your game with daddy?" Gabriella asked.

"I missed you mommy" Robert said.

Gabriella smiled and kissed his head.

"I missed you too" Gabriella said.

Robert got up and finished his game with Troy. After his game, Robert went upstairs. Troy looked at Gabriella.

"He's been asking for you since he got up from his nap" Troy said.

"Was he crying?" Gabriella asked.

Troy shook his head.

"Chad was here when he woke up. Rob was snuggled up to me like that when Chad was here" Troy said.

"Maybe he's just in a snuggly mood" Gabriella said.

"Chad and I were thinking that it had to do with a lot of change happening" Troy said.

"But, he's excited for the babies to come" Gabriella said.

"Yeah, but I think he is sensing that things are going to change" Troy said.

"I'll try to spend some time with him. I didn't think about all of this stuff yet" Gabriella said.

"Don't stress out about it. I am sure that it's normal" Troy said.

Gabriella took a deep breath and released it.

"How was the office?" Troy asked changing the subject.

"Fine. It was just a long meeting" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled slightly. That night, the couple was sleeping. Rob walked out of his room and to his parents room. He climbed onto the bed and snuggled into his mother's side as close as he could get. Gabriella woke up.

"Rob, what's going on?" Gabriella asked sleepily.

Troy woke up hearing Gabriella. He turned on his bedside lamp.

"Rob, why aren't you in bed?" Troy asked.

"I want to sleep with you tonight" Robert said.

"Did you have a bad dream, baby?" Gabriella asked.

Robert shook his head. Gabriella looked at Troy, who looked at her. Troy sat up in bed.

"You just want to be close to mommy?" Gabriella asked.

Robert nodded. Gabriella kissed her son's head.

"Rob, are you sad about the babies coming?" Gabriella asked honestly.

Robert shook his head.

"No mommy" Robert said.

"Are you scared that the babies will have a lot of attention?" Troy asked.

Robert thought for a moment and nodded. Gabriella smiled.

"Rob, look at us" Gabriella said.

Rob looked at Gabriella and Troy.

"We will always love you. Even when the babies come. You are our baby. The babies will need a lot of mommy and daddy's time but we will still make time to play with you" Gabriella said.

Robert snuggled into Gabriella's side as close as he could.

"Rob, look at daddy" Troy said.

Rob looked at his father.

"You are my best buddy. We do everything together. You will still be my best buddy even when your brother and sister come" Troy said.

Robert looked at his father. Troy winked at him.

"Do you understand, baby?" Gabriella asked.

Robert nodded. Gabriella smiled.

"Daddy is going to bring you back to bed, okay?" Gabriella said.

"But, I want to stay" Robert whined.

"Rob, we won't all fit here. You need to go back to your own bed" Gabriella said.

Troy got out of bed. He looked at Robert and Gabriella. Gabriella kissed her son's head. Troy held his arms out to Rob. Rob walked into them and Troy carried him back to his room. Five minutes later, Troy returned to the bedroom. He got into bed. Gabriella looked at him.

"Is he okay?" Gabriella asked.

"He's okay. He's just trying to figure out everything" Troy said.

Gabriella sighed.

"It will pass, babe" Troy said speaking her mind.

Gabriella rolled over and looked at Troy.

"I'm just worried about him" Gabriella said.

"I know. But, all we can do is tell him how much we love him" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Get some sleep, okay?" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips. The next couple days, Gabriella had grown more and more hormonal. Troy tried to tend to her emotional needs as much as he could. One day, Gabriella came home from the office. She dropped her purse off on the entry table. Gabriella placed her hand on her bump. She didn't hear Troy anywhere. But his car was parked in the driveway. Gabriella walked to the backyard and saw her husband shooting hoops. She walked out to the backyard. Troy saw Gabriella come outside. He dribbled the ball and shot it into the hoop.

"How was the office?" Troy asked.

Gabriella just kissed Troy's lips. Troy wasn't expecting that. He dropped the ball that was in his hands. Troy put his hand on Gabriella's back and pulled back slowly.

"What was that for?" Troy asked.

Gabriella looked at Troy and smiled. Troy got the message. He sighed. Troy wanted to make sure Gabriella was taken care of. But now that she was closer to her due date and her bump was growing by the minute, he wanted to be cautious.

"Brie" Troy said.

Gabriella knew what Troy was going to say. She turned around and walked into the house. Troy sighed. He decided to give Gabriella her space for a little while. After an hour, Troy walked into the house and didn't see Gabriella. He walked upstairs and saw that their bedroom door was closed. Troy walked to the door and turned the knob but found it locked.

"Brie, open up please" Troy said through the door.

"No" Gabriella cried.

"Can we talk about this?" Troy asked as he leaned against the door.

"I'm carrying your children and you aren't attracted to me" Gabriella cried.

Troy took a deep breath and released it. He knew that he had to patient with Gabriella because she was so sensitive about everything.

"Gabriella, I love you more than anything" Troy said lovingly.

Gabriella opened the door and poked her head out. Troy smiled slightly at his wife.

"It's not because I don't want to, Brie" Troy said softly.

Gabriella crossed her arms over her bump.

"But, you know how sensitive I am" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"I know. I just don't want to hurt you or them. That's the only reason why I said no" Troy said gently.

"It's not because I don't look the same anymore?" Gabriella asked softly.

Troy shook his head.

"God, no. Brie, you are so beautiful. I would make love to you right here and right now. But, I don't want to hurt you or them. I would never forgive myself if I did" Troy said softly.

Gabriella let her arms fall down to her sides. Her face turned red. Troy was opening up to her and she felt like a jerk.

"I know that the weight makes you feel insecure and I am sorry that you thought that was the reason why I said no" Troy said.

Gabriella's eyes filled with tears. She walked closer to Troy. Troy wrapped his arms around Gabriella and held her as she cried into his chest. He kissed Gabriella's head softly. Troy pulled back so that he could look at Gabriella's face.

"I love you so much. Once the twins are here, we can go back to our usual" Troy said.

Gabriella giggled through her tears. Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips. Gabriella pulled back slowly. Troy wiped Gabriella's tears away with his thumbs and held her face in his hands. Gabriella put her hands on top of Troy's.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He kissed Gabriella's lips sweetly.

"Are we okay?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"Okay" Troy said.

That night, Gabriella and Troy put Robert to bed. They walked into their bedroom. Troy took his shirt and pants off and climbed into bed. Gabriella walked into the bathroom and shut the door. She changed into her pajamas, which consisted of Troy's old wildcat shirt and his sweats. Gabriella walked out of the bathroom and saw Troy smile at her. She smiled back. Gabriella walked over and climbed into bed. She snuggled into Troy's chest as close as she could.

"Do you want a watch a movie?" Troy asked.

"Sure" Gabriella said as she adjusted herself in Troy's arms.

"Is your back hurting?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded. Troy let Gabriella choose the movie. Once the movie started, Gabriella felt Troy start to massage her aching back. Gabriella moaned. Troy kissed Gabriella's neck.

"You feeling okay?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded. Troy continued to massage Gabriella's back. In the middle of the movie, Troy noticed Gabriella had fallen asleep. He smiled. Troy leaned over and kissed Gabriella's cheek. He turned off the television and fell asleep himself.


	20. We Need To Figure This Out

A couple weeks later, Gabriella was six months pregnant. Troy had tried to make Gabriella comfortable but everything he did just made her upset. He was also stressed out because a couple of his employees had quit. Troy was really overwhelmed, and he didn't know what to do. One day, Troy was at his office. He was trying to hire new employees for his Santa Fe office. There was a knock on the door.

"Come in" Troy said.

Chad opened the door with Robert following him. Troy smiled.

"Gabi told me that you would be here" Chad said.

Troy nodded. Robert walked over to his father. Troy lifted him up and set him on his lap.

"What are you guys up to?" Troy asked looking down at his son.

"I played with Eli" Robert said.

"Oh. Did you have fun, bud?" Troy asked.

Robert nodded. Chad smiled.

"Gabi said that she would pick him up but didn't answer when I called" Chad said.

"Sorry. She's been really tired and not feeling well" Troy said.

"Mommy has been having tummy aches" Robert said.

Troy smiled.

"Tummy aches? Is she okay, Troy?" Chad asked.

"Yeah, she's uncomfortable. The baby has been growing a lot and the weight is kind of getting to Brie" Troy said.

"Is that normal with twins?" Chad asked.

Troy shrugged.

"Gabi has been talking to her doctor and keeping her in the loop. The doctor is talking about inducing her when she gets closer to her due date" Troy said.

"How do you feel about that?" Chad asked as he sat down.

Troy took a deep breath and released it.

"Mommy will be okay" Robert said.

Troy smiled and chuckled.

"Yeah, she will buddy. All I can do is support her and be there for her. I'm trying, Chad" Troy said.

Chad smiled slightly.

"I know you are. She's just really going through it" Chad said.

Troy nodded.

"If you need us to take Rob off your hands for a couple of hours, you know we would do it in a heartbeat" Chad said.

Troy smiled slightly.

"Thanks. That means a lot" Troy said.

Chad left a couple minutes later. Troy finished writing a couple emails and then looked at Rob, who was still sitting on his lap.

"Ready to go home and see mommy?" Troy asked.

"Daddy, are you upset with mommy?" Robert asked.

Troy smiled. He lifted Robert off his lap and stood up. Troy then placed his son in his seat at his desk. He then kneeled in front of Robert.

"No Rob. Your baby brother and sister are just making mommy feel sick. That is why I'm upset bud. I'm not mad or upset with your brother and sister or at mommy. I just wish that I could help mommy feel better and I can't" Troy said.

"That makes me mad" Robert said crossing his arms.

Troy chuckled.

"I know. It makes me mad sometimes too. But, in a couple of months, it won't matter anymore because your sister and brother will come out of mommy's tummy" Troy said.

"Will mommy feel better when my brother and sister come out?" Robert asked.

Troy smiled and nodded.

"Yeah" Troy said.

"I want them out, daddy" Robert said.

Troy chuckled.

"Soon, Rob. They will come out soon" Troy said.

"Daddy" Robert said.

"Yeah, bud?" Troy said looking at his son.

"I want to help mommy feel better" Robert said.

Troy smiled.

"You know what would make her really happy?" Troy asked.

"What?" Robert asked.

"Your hugs and kisses are mommy's favorite. That would make her feel better" Troy said.

"I want to go give them to mommy right now, daddy" Robert said.

"Okay. Let's go" Troy said.

Troy stood up. Robert slid off the chair. Troy held his hand out and Robert took it. The father-son duo walked out of the office and drove home. Once they arrived home, Troy opened the door.

"Mommy?" Robert called.

"Kitchen" Gabriella said.

Troy and Robert walked in the house and went into the kitchen.

"Mommy?" Robert called.

Gabriella looked at her son and saw him open his arms. She smiled. Gabriella motioned for Robert to follow her. She walked to the living room and sat on the couch. Robert walked over to Gabriella and hugged and kissed her. Gabriella kissed Robert's head softly.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

"I love you. Do you feel better, mommy?" Robert asked.

Gabriella smiled. She looked up at Troy, who smiled and nodded. Gabriella looked back at her son.

"I feel a lot better. Thank you, baby. Go play upstairs, okay? Mommy will come up there in a little bit" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Robert said.

Gabriella kissed Robert's head one last time. Robert then walked upstairs. Gabriella looked up at Troy.

"What was that all about?" Gabriella asked.

"Chad tried to call you and ask you when you were going to pick Rob up. But you didn't answer. Chad brought Rob to my office and we talked for a while about you and the babies. Rob was there and heard the conversation that Chad and I were having. He asked me after Chad left if I was upset at you. I told him no. I told him that I was upset about you being uncomfortable and not being able to help you feel better. He and I talked about it for a while and Rob said that he wanted to help make you feel better. I told him that his hugs and kisses really make you happy and feel better. So that's why he came in the way he did" Troy said.

Gabriella's eyes filled with tears. Robert reminded Gabriella of Troy so much.

"He got worried because I was worried" Troy said.

Gabriella patted a space on the couch. Troy walked over to the couch and sat down next to his wife.

"You both know how to make me feel better. You guys take care of me and the babies so well. I'm so blessed to have you, Troy" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. Gabriella leaned in and kissed Troy's lips sweetly. Troy pulled away slowly.

"I'm also grateful and blessed to have our son be as loving and caring like his daddy" Gabriella continued.

Troy smiled.

"It was like looking in the mirror a little bit" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"Our sons and daughter are so blessed to have you. We appreciate you too. I know that I have been a witch lately- "Gabriella started.

Troy shook his head. He placed his hand on Gabriella's thigh.

"You have a right to feel that way, baby" Troy said.

"No, I don't. Yeah, I am trying to grow two human beings at the same time. But I don't need to act like the queen of the world that needs everything done a certain way. I'm sorry, Troy" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips passionately. Gabriella smiled into the kiss. Troy pulled away. He placed his hand on Gabriella's bump.

"I know that you are really uncomfortable. I am just trying to figure out to help" Troy said.

Gabriella moved closer to Troy. She curled up into his chest as close as she could get.

"You are doing fine. You've been there for me and these babies every step of the way" Gabriella said.

Troy kissed Gabriella's head softly and leaned his head against hers. He felt a flutter underneath his hand, and he smiled. Gabriella felt it too.

"Troy?" Gabriella asked.

"Yes, Brie?" Troy asked.

"Did you feel that?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah. I think that was a kick" Troy said.

Gabriella's eyes filled with tears. Troy then felt another kick and smiled.

"Both of our babies are kicking" Gabriella said as tears ran down her cheeks.

Troy leaned in and kissed his wife's lips.

"I love you so much" Troy said.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

A couple weeks later, Troy and Chad had taken their sons to East High to meet up with Jack. They were going to watch the wildcats play a game. Once the boys got to Jack's office, Troy knocked on the door. Jack opened the door and smiled.

"Hi guys. Gabi didn't want to come?" Jack asked.

Troy shook his head.

"The babies are getting bigger and she was going to be sitting for a while. We thought it was better if she rests. Plus, she has the house to herself for a couple of hours" Troy said.

"What about Taylor?" Jack asked looking at Chad.

Chad shook his head.

"Are we talking about the same person here? Tay is not into basketball" Chad said.

Troy chuckled.

"Alright, alright. What about you two? Are you ready to see the game?" Jack asked as he kneeled to talk to the boys.

"Yeah" Robert and Eli said.

Troy and Chad smiled.

"You may need to recruit those two after this game if we win" Chad said.

"I have ideas already" Jack said standing up.

Troy smiled.

"We will go find our seats. Game on, dad" Troy said.

Jack smiled.

"Don't make us jump onto that court" Chad said.

Jack shook his head. Troy, Chad, and their sons went out to the gym and found their seats. The game started. Troy and Chad were standing half of the game coaching from the stands. Jack saw them from a distance while Robert and Eli calmly watched the game. Jack laughed.

"Once a wildcat, always a wildcat. Let's go" Jack said as his players ran through the game.

A couple of hours later, the game ended. The wildcats had won. Troy, Chad, Robert, and Eli went to the locker room to see Jack.

"So?" Jack asked looking at Troy and Chad.

"They were good. We were better" Chad said.

Troy smiled.

"They played a good game. I think we will be those parents that are on the court while our sons are playing" Troy said.

"Yeah, and grandpa in the background yelling with you guys" Jack said.

The five boys talked for a while. An hour later, Troy and Robert walked into the house and didn't hear Gabriella.

"Where's mommy?" Robert asked.

"I don't know. Maybe she's upstairs" Troy said.

Troy and Robert walked upstairs. Troy poked his head into their bedroom and saw that the light was on in the bathroom. He smiled.

"Mommy is in the bathroom. Go play" Troy said.

"Okay" Robert said.

Robert left the bedroom. Troy walked to the bathroom door and knocked on it gently.

"Brie? You okay?" Troy asked through the door.

"Taking a bath. You can come in" Gabriella said.

Troy opened the door and walked into the bathroom and shut the door behind him. He smiled when he saw Gabriella in the bathtub with candles surrounding it. Troy walked over to the tub and kneeled. He kissed Gabriella's cheek.

"How are you feeling?" Troy asked.

"Achy and tired" Gabriella said.

"What did you do when we were gone?" Troy asked.

"I cleaned the kitchen and the bathrooms" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"I could have helped you with all that, babe" Troy said.

"I wanted to do. I just feel like there is a lot that we need to do. I'm starting to feel a little overwhelmed" Gabriella said.

"Overwhelmed about doing stuff around the house?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shook her head.

"Overwhelmed by all the stuff that is coming" Gabriella said.

"Like what?" Troy asked.

"The babies. Staying up all hours of the night. Breastfeeding. Diapers. Trying to be a good mother to Rob" Gabriella said.

Troy's face softened.

"Brie look at me baby" Troy said.

Gabriella looked at Troy with her eyes filled with tears.

"You are an amazing mom to Rob. The best. Don't ever question that" Troy said.

Gabriella let her tears run down her face.

"I don't know how it will be possible to take care of two babies at the same time" Gabriella said.

"There are two of us. It can't be that hard. Plus, I know that Rob wants to help take care of the babies too. We have family and friends that would help us too. Where is this coming from, babe?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shook her head.

"It's just what I think about" Gabriella said.

"Did someone say something to you?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shook her head.

"No. It's just me" Gabriella said.

"You will be the best mom to Rob and these babies" Troy said placing his hand in the warm water and putting it on her expanding stomach.

Gabriella smiled slightly. Troy kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"I love you" Troy said.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

A week later, Gabriella still had the same thoughts that were running through her head when she spoke to Troy. Troy wanted to talk to Dr. A and ask if this was normal. Gabriella had her appointment with Dr. A. After Gabriella's ultrasound and exam, Troy spoke up.

"Dr. A can I have a word?" Troy asked.

Gabriella looked at Troy. Troy smiled at Gabriella.

"Baby go sit in the waiting room for a minute. I need to talk to Dr. A" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Gabriella left the room.

"What can I do for you, Troy?" Dr. A asked.

"Gabriella has been really sad. Her whole mood has changed. It's not like her usual mood swings though. I am starting to get worried. Is that normal?" Troy asked anxiously.

Dr. A smiled. She motioned for Troy to sit down. Troy sat down and Dr. A sat across from him. Dr A and Troy talked for forty-five minutes. Troy walked out of the exam room feeling dizzy and overwhelmed. Gabriella was showing signs of postpartum depression. Although it was too early to completely diagnose, based on what Troy described to Dr. A, that was a possibility. He didn't know what to do. Troy walked out to the waiting room and smiled at Gabriella. The couple left the office.

"What did you need to talk about with Dr. A?" Gabriella asked.

"I just had a couple questions" Troy said.

"Questions that you can't talk to me about" Gabriella said.

Troy looked at Gabriella and shook his head.

"I'm just worried about you" Troy said.

The couple got in the car. Gabriella looked at Troy.

"What am I doing that is making you worry?" Gabriella asked.

"You are crying so much, baby. More than usual. Even when you have a mood swing. I didn't know if this is part of the pregnancy or something more" Troy said honestly.

"I'm under a lot of stress. Between work and being pregnant, it is a lot" Gabriella said.

"I know. But this is not you. I didn't know if this is a twin pregnancy thing or not. You didn't do anything wrong, sweetheart. It just makes me sad to see you that way. We have wanted these babies for so long. I just want you to be able to really enjoy being pregnant and being blessed enough to have twins" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Do you understand what I'm trying to say?" Troy asked.

"Yeah. Maybe there is something wrong" Gabriella said.

Troy sighed. He reached over and placed his hand on Gabriella's thigh.

"I just hope you know that I love you so much" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled slightly. She picked up Troy's hand and kissed it.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. The next couple days, Troy tried to stay close to home. He wanted to make sure that Gabriella was okay and that she felt supported. One day, there was a knock on Troy's office door. Sue, Troy's office manager opened it and smiled.

"Troy, Gabriella is in the lobby. Should I send her back?" Sue asked.

"Yes" Troy said logging off his computer.

Sue closed the door. A couple minutes later, there was another knock on the door.

"Come in, sweetheart" Troy said.

Gabriella opened the door and smiled. Troy smiled. He motioned for her to sit down. Gabriella carefully sat down on the chair in front of Troy's desk. Troy grabbed a pillow from his chair. He got up and placed the pillow in between Gabriella's back and the chair. Troy then closed the door so that they could have some privacy.

"Thanks" Gabriella said.

"No problem. What's going on?" Troy asked sitting back down at his desk.

"I just wanted to come see you" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"That was nice of you. How are you feeling today?' Troy asked.

Gabriella shook her head. Troy sighed.

"What happened?" Troy asked.

"I cried over Rob's outfit today" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"I think that is a mood swing" Troy said.

"As soon as I started crying, he started crying" Gabriella said.

Troy chuckled.

"Our son hates when you cry. Just like his daddy" Troy said.

"Troy, it was so cute" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"You seem better" Troy said.

Gabriella shrugged.

"Maybe this is my freak out about having twins" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Maybe. Did you go in to the office today?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"I don't fit at my desk anymore" Gabriella said.

"I'm sorry sweetheart" Troy said.

"Also, I wanted to thank you for holding down the fort during all of this emotional stuff. I really appreciate it" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He motioned for her to come close to him. Gabriella held onto Troy's desk and pulled herself up. She walked over to Troy, who offered his lap to her. Gabriella carefully sat on Troy's lap.

"I don't know exactly what you are going through. But I want to learn, and I want to help in any way I can to make it easier on you" Troy said.

Gabriella wrapped her arms around Troy. Troy wrapped his arms around Gabriella.

"I love you Troy" Gabriella said.

Troy kissed Gabriella's cheek.

"I love you too. We will figure this out, okay? Don't worry" Troy said.

Gabriella rested her head on Troy's shoulder. Troy and Gabriella talked about how Troy could support Gabriella in what she was going through.


	21. Tell Me How You Really Feel

A couple of weeks later, Gabriella and Troy had been spending a lot more alone time together. Troy wanted to make sure that Gabriella was okay. They even went against Troy's decision about not having any more sex before the babies came. They just had to be creative since Gabriella's bump was growing by the minute. Gabriella was starting to feel better but still had times where she needed Troy's support. One day, Troy came home and smiled when he saw Gabriella in the kitchen. He walked into the kitchen and wrapped his arms around Gabriella from behind.

"Hey baby" Troy said.

"Hey. They are kicking extra hard today. Be careful" Gabriella said looking down at Troy's hands on her bump.

"Is it painful?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shook her head.

"It's just annoying sometimes" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"How are you feeling?" Troy asked.

"Fine" Gabriella said.

"No issues while I was gone?" Troy asked.

"No" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Good. What are the babies craving today?" Troy asked.

"Fruit" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"How do you feel about last night?" Troy asked.

Gabriella and Troy would talk late at night about things that were going on. They started to do this so that Robert would not be hearing their conversation. Last night they talked about what the plan of Troy doing his business trips was when the babies came.

"Better" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Good" Troy said kissing Gabriella's cheek.

"Are you going to the office today?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah, just for a little while" Troy said.

"Do you want me to take Rob to preschool?" Gabriella asked.

Troy shook his head.

"I'll do it" Troy said.

"Okay. Are you sure?" Gabriella asked.

Troy smiled. He kissed Gabriella's lips and placed his hand on her bump.

"I'm sure sweetheart" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

An hour later, Troy and Robert had left. Gabriella brought her laptop downstairs and sat down at the center island in the kitchen. She wanted to start looking at baby names for their son and daughter. Gabriella was so focused on finding names that she didn't hear Troy come in. Troy wrapped his arms around Gabriella and she screamed.

"Brie, what's wrong?" Troy asked.

Gabriella looked at Troy and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath and released it. Gabriella then opened her eyes and looked down and groaned. She urinated all over the kitchen stool.

"I'm sorry, baby. I didn't mean to scare you" Troy said.

Tears fell from Gabriella's eyes. Troy jogged to the linen cabinet and brought two towels. He placed the towels on the floor and helped Gabriella walk upstairs to the bathroom so that she could take a shower. Troy placed the towels into the washer and started it. He walked downstairs and cleaned the area where Gabriella was sitting. Troy felt bad. Twenty minutes later, Gabriella walked downstairs and looked at Troy.

"I'm so sorry baby. I thought you heard me come in" Troy said.

Gabriella wiped her tears away. Troy walked over to his wife and wrapped his arms around her.

"You can't do that, Troy. You need to say something" Gabriella said.

"I'm sorry" Troy said.

Gabriella laid her head against Troy's chest and felt his heart beating. Troy kissed Gabriella's head softly. Gabriella looked up at Troy, who smiled.

"I was looking at names for the twins" Gabriella said.

"Oh. Do you want to figure them out together?" Troy asked.

"Yeah" Gabriella said.

The couple tried to figure out the names of their unborn son and daughter. A couple of hours later, Troy was in the backyard shooting hoops. Gabriella was taking a nap upstairs. Troy was thinking about Gabriella, Robert, and the babies. He and Gabriella had come up with a list of potential names for their son and daughter. Troy heard the gate to the backyard open. He smiled when he saw Jack come in.

"How is it going?" Jack asked.

"Good. Everyone's okay" Troy said.

"How's Gabriella doing?" Jack asked.

"She just wants the babies out of her" Troy said.

Jack smiled.

"Are you ready for that?" Jack asked.

"Yeah" Troy said.

"But, you are freaking out" Jack said knowing Troy.

Troy took a deep breath and nodded.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Jack asked.

"Even though this is our second and third time, it's still scary" Troy said.

Jack nodded.

"But, if you are feeling scared, imagine what Gabriella is feeling" Jack said.

Troy nodded.

"I know and that is why I snap out of it sometimes. She's the one that is carrying them" Troy said shooting the ball.

"Have you guys been talking about your plan for when they do come?" Jack asked.

"Yeah. We talk every night about it" Troy said.

The two men heard the back door open. Gabriella came outside and smiled.

"Hi dad" Gabriella said.

"Hi Gabi, how are you feeling?" Jack asked.

"Ready for these babies to come out" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"They will come out soon enough. Hopefully, they love basketball as much as their older brother and their dad" Jack said.

The couple smiled.

"What were you guys talking about?" Gabriella asked.

"Nothing baby" Troy said.

Gabriella looked at her father-in-law.

"I can't tell you Gabs. That's something that Troy needs to decide" Jack said.

Gabriella then looked at Troy. Troy looked at her.

"We can talk about it later" Troy said.

"If you both are talking about it now, why don't we just talk about it now?" Gabriella asked.

Jack looked at Troy and then looked at Gabriella. Gabriella walked over to Troy and took the ball from him. She looked at her husband.

"Just talk to me, Troy" Gabriella said.

Troy swallowed hard. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath and opened them.

"I'm scared. I know that you are too. I didn't want what I felt to stress you out" Troy said softly.

Gabriella dropped the basketball and kissed Troy's cheek. Troy looked at Gabriella.

"Thank you for being honest with me" Gabriella said softly.

Troy nodded.

"Everything is going as planned, Troy. And if it doesn't later on, then we will be okay too" Gabriella said.

Jack smiled. He squeezed his son's shoulders supportively.

"I love you. I just didn't-" Troy started.

Gabriella smiled. She placed her hand on the side of Troy's face.

"I love you too. I get it. But, next time, talk to me" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled and nodded. Gabriella leaned in and kissed Troy's lips softly. Troy pulled away and sighed.

"I'll let you go back to getting whooped by your dad" Gabriella joked.

"Excuse me, I was ahead by ten points, missy" Troy joked.

Gabriella laughed. She kissed Troy's lips again and walked back into the house. Troy looked at his father.

"Was that so hard?" Jack asked.

Troy rolled his eyes. That night, Troy smiled when he saw Gabriella reading a book to Robert. Troy leaned against the doorframe and listened. Robert was snuggled into Gabriella's side listening to the story. After they finished the book, Robert noticed Troy standing in the doorway.

"Daddy" Robert said.

Troy smiled.

"Ready to go night-night?" Troy asked.

Robert shook his head tiredly. Troy smiled. He walked over to where Gabriella was sitting and sat next to her.

"I think someone looks tired, right mommy?" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled and decided to play along.

"I think so" Gabriella said.

Gabriella tucked Robert in his bed and kissed his head softly.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

"Mommy, I need to give kisses to the babies" Robert said.

Troy smiled.

"Okay. Go ahead" Gabriella said.

Robert kissed Gabriella's bump twice.

"Good night babies" Robert said.

Gabriella smiled. She carefully stood up and switched places with Troy. Troy leaned down and kissed Robert's head.

"Night night buddy. I love you" Troy said.

The couple shut the light off and left their son's bedroom. They walked to their bedroom.

"I know that I hurt your feelings earlier. I just wanted to apologize" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled slightly.

"I know that things are changing, babe. You need to talk to me about everything. I can't read your mind. I understand that you didn't want to stress me out. But, I need to know these things" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded. Gabriella smiled. She walked over to Troy, who was now sitting on the edge of their bed. Gabriella wrapped her arms around Troy's neck and leaned in and kissed his lips softly. Troy offered Gabriella his lap. Gabriella carefully sat down on his lap.

"It's just having twins is a big deal. There is a lot that goes along with it. I'm scared because I want to protect you and the babies. But there are things that may be out of my control" Troy said.

Troy placed one of his hands on Gabriella's bump and felt the twins kick his hand.

"And that's okay, baby. Don't you think I'm scared?" Gabriella asked.

Troy nodded.

"Then why is it a bad thing for you to feel scared? We are a team. You and me. If you are scared, then let's talk about it" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Troy said.

The couple talked that night about their fears. A couple of weeks later, Gabriella was seven and a half months pregnant. She was starting to get cranky. Troy noticed it and so did Robert. Even though she tried to keep it to a minimum. Gabriella had a doctor's appointment and Troy couldn't go because he had a very important business meeting. Gabriella opened the front door and walked into the house. She walked into the kitchen and smiled when she saw Troy sitting with his laptop while he talked on the phone. Gabriella placed the sonogram of the twins next to his hand. Troy smiled and picked up the sonogram.

"They are so big. What did Dr. A say?" Troy whispered.

"They will probably be born early" Gabriella whispered.

"Is that normal?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"We can talk about that tonight" Troy whispered.

Gabriella smiled and nodded. Troy placed his hand on top of Gabriella's. Robert walked downstairs. Gabriella looked at him and smiled.

"Hey baby, how was school today?" Gabriella asked.

"Mommy I drew a picture of you, daddy, my brother, and my sister. My teacher said that she really liked it" Robert said.

"I want to see it" Gabriella said.

Robert ran up the stairs to his room and got his drawing. He brought the drawing downstairs and handed it to Gabriella. Gabriella walked over to the couch and sat down with Robert. She smiled as she looked at the drawing.

"This is so good, bud" Gabriella said.

"My teacher asked when the babies were going to come but I said that I didn't know and to ask my mommy" Robert said.

Gabriella smiled.

"Are you excited for the babies to come?" Gabriella asked.

Robert nodded.

"Me too" Gabriella said.

"Me three" Troy said walking into the living room.

"Did you show your picture to daddy?" Gabriella asked.

Robert nodded.

"Yeah. I really liked how you drew all of us, including your brother and sister" Troy said.

Troy grabbed the sonogram and kneeled in front of Robert.

"Bud, this is a picture of the babies inside mommy's tummy" Troy said.

Robert looked at the sonogram and tilted his head. Troy smiled. He pointed out the babies' features to his son. Gabriella smiled.

"What do you think, baby?" Gabriella asked kissing Robert's cheek.

"Mommy, I want them out" Robert said.

Gabriella smiled.

"So do I. But, in a couple of months, they will be here" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"You will have to show the babies how great of a basketball player you are" Troy said.

"But, I'm not that good" Robert said.

"You are good. By the time the babies get here, you will be even better" Troy said.

Gabriella's heart warmed.

"Okay, Coach Bolton" Gabriella said jokingly.

Troy looked at Gabriella and chuckled. He then looked back at Robert.

"The babies are going to look up to you" Troy said.

"Like how I look up to you?" Robert asked.

Gabriella's eyes filled with tears. She knew that meant a lot to Troy. Troy took a deep breath and tried to hold his emotions together.

"Yeah, bud. Exactly like that. Come here" Troy said.

Robert hugged his father. Troy wrapped his around his son.

"I love you, Rob" Troy said.

"I love you too daddy" Robert said.

Gabriella walked over to the two boys. She kissed Robert's head and Troy's cheek.

"I love you guys too" Gabriella said.

Troy looked up and kissed Gabriella's cheek.

"Are you sad, daddy?" Robert asked.

Troy shook his head.

"No buddy. What you said made me really happy. When daddy was a little older than you, I told myself that I wanted to have a son so that he could look up to me like how I looked up to Grandpa Jack" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled. That night, Troy walked into the bedroom after putting Robert to bed. He took his shirt and pants off and crawled into bed next to Gabriella. Gabriella snuggled into Troy's side but groaned.

"Not comfortable?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shook her head. Troy smiled. Gabriella turned over so that she wasn't facing Troy. Troy wrapped his arms around Gabriella from behind.

"How are you feeling?" Troy asked.

"Achy and tired" Gabriella said.

Troy kissed Gabriella's shoulder.

"Is there anything that I can do to help?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shook her head. Troy smoothed Gabriella's hair back and kissed her shoulder again.

"Our son is your exact twin" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"I almost cried but I didn't want to freak him out" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled. She took one of Troy's hands that were on her bump and kissed it gently.

"You are a good daddy" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He got out of bed.

"Where are you going?" Gabriella asked.

"If you are not comfortable lying down close to me, then I will come closer to you" Troy said.

Troy walked over to Gabriella's side of the bed and sat on the edge. He leaned down and kissed Gabriella's lips. Gabriella pulled away slowly.

"I love you Troy" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"I love you too" Troy said.


	22. My Everything

A couple of days later, Troy came home and didn't hear Gabriella. He walked into the kitchen and didn't see her. Troy walked upstairs and went into the bedroom and saw that the light was on in the bathroom. He walked over to the bathroom door and knocked.

"Baby, you okay?" Troy asked through the door.

"In the bathtub" Gabriella said through the door.

"Are you feeling okay?" Troy asked.

"I ache everywhere" Gabriella said.

"Can I come in?" Troy asked.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Troy opened the bathroom door and walked in. He closed the door behind him. Troy kneeled next to the tub and kissed Gabriella's head softly.

"Where are you feeling achy?" Troy asked.

"My back, sides, feet, legs, and just everywhere" Gabriella said finally starting to cry.

"Brie, it's okay" Troy said.

Troy wrapped his arms around Gabriella's bare back. He didn't care if he got wet.

"I'm tired of being pregnant" Gabriella cried.

"I know, sweetheart. But just two more months and the babies will be here" Troy said rubbing her back in small circles.

"I can't move anywhere. It took five minutes to walk down the stairs because I can't see my feet" Gabriella cried.

Troy kissed Gabriella's forehead softly.

"I gained even more weight and now I just look like a blimp. I don't feel good" Gabriella cried.

Troy pulled away so that he could look at Gabriella.

"Baby, you are so beautiful. Watching you carry our babies for the past seven months has been beautiful to watch. I know you are tired and want these babies out. I know that it's getting tough. But, you are doing it like a champ, baby girl. I love you so much and I am so proud of you" Troy said.

Gabriella started to cry even more. Troy wrapped his arms around his wife again.

"I just want them out Troy" Gabriella cried.

"I know. What can I do to make you feel better?" Troy asked rubbing her back.

Gabriella shook her head against Troy's. Troy smiled and kissed her wet shoulder.

"How about after Rob goes to bed, I give you a nice massage? And maybe some extras" Troy said.

Gabriella blushed.

"I'm too heavy for that" Gabriella murmured.

"Don't worry about that. But does that sound like a plan?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded. Troy smiled.

"Okay. I'll let you finish your bath. Let me know if you need anything okay?" Troy said.

"Thank you" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. Gabriella leaned in and kissed Troy's lips.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

"I love you too baby" Troy said.

Troy got up and walked out of the bathroom, closing the door behind him. That night, Troy and Gabriella had put Robert to bed. They walked back to their bedroom. Gabriella lied down on their bed. Troy closed the bedroom door. He took his shirt and pants off. Troy then sat on the bed and helped Gabriella turn over. He gently started massaging Gabriella's aching back. Gabriella moaned. Troy stopped and looked at Gabriella.

"Am I pressing too hard?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shook her head.

"It feels good" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. Troy continued to massage Gabriella's back. He then moved to her feet. Troy started to rub Gabriella's swollen feet. An hour later, Troy finished massaging Gabriella. He looked at her and smiled.

"How are you feeling?" Troy asked softly.

Gabriella smiled softly. She pulled Troy in and kissed his lips. Troy pulled away slowly and rested his nose against hers.

"Better. Thank you" Gabriella said softly.

Troy smiled. He kissed Gabriella's forehead.

"Get some sleep, okay?" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy kissed Gabriella's lips. The couple fell asleep. The next day, Chad had come over to hang out with Troy. The two men were downstairs in the kitchen talking.

"How's Gabi doing?" Chad asked.

"She's really uncomfortable. She can barely get out of bed" Troy said.

"When are the babies due?" Chad asked.

"April sixteenth" Troy said.

"Two months left. Is she working from home?" Chad asked.

Troy nodded.

"She's been doing her meetings over facetime and emails" Troy said.

"How are you holding up?" Chad asked.

"I am doing alright. I just want to make her feel as comfortable as she can be" Troy said.

"We know that you are doing a good job with that" Chad said placing his hand on Troy's shoulder.

Troy smiled.

"Thanks, man. Rob has even tried to help her out too. He will give her cups of water. He will bring her snacks" Troy said.

Chad smiled.

"He wants to take care of his mommy" Chad said.

Troy nodded. Troy and Chad heard little footsteps coming from the stairs. Robert came into the kitchen.

"Hey bud" Troy said.

"Hi, daddy" Robert said.

Troy lifted his son onto his lap.

"Were you with mommy?" Troy asked.

Robert nodded.

"She was crying, daddy. But she said that I made her happy and not sad" Robert said.

Troy smiled.

"What did you say that made her cry, Rob?" Chad asked.

"I brought her a cup of water and some snacks. She then told me that she loves me" Robert said.

Troy smiled.

"Mommy is so happy that you are taking care of her and the babies" Troy said.

Robert smiled proudly. Chad smiled.

"Daddy she is so sleepy" Robert said.

"I know buddy. Once the babies are out, she will feel a lot better" Troy said.

"Okay" Robert said.

Troy smiled.

"Go play" Troy said.

Robert left the kitchen.

"What are you guys doing for Valentine's day?" Chad asked.

"I want to take her out. But I don't want her to miserable" Troy said.

Chad nodded.

"What if you guys went out somewhere close to home?" Chad asked.

Troy smiled.

"I just thought of the perfect idea" Troy said.

Troy told Chad his plan. A couple of weeks later, it was Valentine's Day. Troy had asked his mother to watch Robert so that he could set up his plan. He had picked a dress out for Gabriella to wear that she would feel comfortable in and set it out on the bed. Troy then wrote a note to Gabriella and set it on top of the dress. That night, Troy rang the doorbell of their house. Gabriella opened the door in the dress that was on the bed.

"What are you planning, wildcat?" Gabriella asked.

Troy smiled. He handed Gabriella a single red rose. Gabriella took the rose and smell it and smiled. She looked at Troy.

"I know that a lot has been going on. I know that you haven't been feeling your best. So, I want to show you how much I love you and how incredibly grateful I am for you doing everything you do. Not just for me. But for Rob, the babies, your work, our family, and our friends" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled tearfully.

"Oh, Troy" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips.

"Come on" Troy said holding out his hand.

Gabriella took her husband's hand. The couple got into the car and started driving.

"Where are we going?" Gabriella asked.

"It's a surprise" Troy said.

"I have to pee so it better be close" Gabriella said.

Troy pulled over to a gas station and motioned for Gabriella to go to the bathroom. Gabriella got out of the car and walked into the gas station. Five minutes later, Gabriella came back to the car.

"You okay?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded. Troy pulled out of the gas station. He then started driving to their destination. Troy pulled into East High and parked his car. Gabriella smiled.

"What are we doing here, babe?" Gabriella asked.

"Come with me and find out" Troy said.

Troy helped Gabriella get out of the car. The couple started walking. Troy and Gabriella walked to their rooftop spot. Gabriella's mouth fell open when she saw their spot. There were candles lit everywhere. There was a table that was set for two. Troy wrapped his arms around Gabriella from behind.

"Happy Valentines Day, baby" Troy said kissing Gabriella's cheek.

The couple walked to the table and sat down. Troy opened both trays of food that he had picked up from Gabriella's favorite restaurant.

"I can't believe you did all of this" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"I wanted to. You deserve this. Plus, the next couple of months are going to be a little crazy. I just wanted us to have some time together that was just us" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"Where is Rob?" Gabriella asked.

"He's with my mom" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled. The couple ate their food.

"That was so good. Thank you" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"No problem. Do you remember that our first kiss was up here?" Troy asked.

Gabriella smiled and nodded.

"Yeah. I was so nervous to kiss you" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"We also found out that you got into law school up here" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"A lot of memories up here" Gabriella said.

There was silence. A comfortable silence between the couple as they remembered all the memories that the rooftop garden brought them.

"Easton" Gabriella blurted out.

Troy looked at Gabriella.

"What?" Troy asked.

"Easton Bolton" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"What do you think?" Gabriella asked.

"I love it" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"Easton Alexander Bolton" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"It's perfect" Troy said.

Gabriella got up and tried to lift the chair. Troy grabbed the chair and moved it closer to him. Gabriella sat down.

"What about our daughter?" Troy asked.

There were a couple of moments of silence and then Gabriella looked at Troy.

"Everly Raine Bolton" Gabriella said.

"It's beautiful" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"Robert, Easton, and Everly" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Our babies" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"Our babies. I love you Troy" Gabriella said.

Troy kissed Gabriella's cheek.

"I love you too. Well, we can cross that off the list" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Now he has to be a basketball player" Gabriella said.

Troy chuckled.

"He can be whoever he wants to be. If he wants to play basketball, then that's cool. If he doesn't, then I'm okay with that too" Troy said.

Gabriella closed her eyes and placed her hand on her bump.

"Gabs?" Troy called.

"Wait" Gabriella said.

Gabriella took a deep breath and released it. Troy placed his hand on top of hers.

"Brie, talk to me" Troy said.

Gabriella opened her eyes.

"I think that they like their names" Gabriella said.

"What was that?" Troy asked worriedly.

"They both kicked really hard. It scared me" Gabriella said.

Troy released the breath that he was holding. Gabriella looked at him apologetically.

"Sorry for scaring you" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"I am just glad that everything is okay" Troy said.

Gabriella kissed Troy's lips softly. Troy kissed her back. Gabriella pulled away slowly and smiled. She placed her arm around Troy's neck and looked at him in his eyes.

Now that we are alone, I wanted to give you something" Troy said.

"But-" Gabriella started.

"I wanted to do this for you" Troy said.

Troy reached into his pocket and pulled out a box. Gabriella looked at Troy.

"So, when we found out that Everly was a girl, I wanted to get you both something" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled when he heard Troy say their daughter's name. Troy placed the box in front of Gabriella. Gabriella opened it and tears ran down her face. She saw two silver necklaces with Bolton spelled out. Gabriella looked up.

"They are beautiful, Troy" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"I figured because we now will have a girl to add to the Bolton family, we needed to do something special" Troy said.

Gabriella kissed Troy's lips softly.

"Thank you" Gabriella said.

"You are welcome" Troy said.

"Can you help me put it on?" Gabriella asked.

"Of course" Troy said.

Troy took the necklace and placed it on Gabriella. He clasped it together and let it fall on her chest. Gabriella looked down and smiled. The rest of the night, Gabriella and Troy talked about the future. The next morning, Troy rolled over and opened his eyes. He smiled when he saw Gabriella trying to get comfortable on her side of the bed in her sleep. Troy placed a pillow next to her and watch her snuggle into it and stop moving. He smiled. Troy leaned over and kissed Gabriella's forehead softly. He got up and walked downstairs. An hour later, Troy heard footsteps. He smiled when he saw Robert come into the living room.

"Hey bud" Troy said.

"Hi daddy" Robert said as he sat down next to him on the couch.

"Guess what?" Troy asked.

"What?" Robert asked.

"We picked your brother's and sister's names last night" Troy said.

"What are they?" Robert asked.

"I think mommy wants to tell you also. So, let's wait until she wakes up" Troy said.

"Okay" Robert said.

An hour later, Gabriella came downstairs.

"Mommy" Robert said.

"Hi baby" Gabriella said.

"Daddy said that you picked the babies' names. He said that we had to wait for you to wake up" Robert said.

Gabriella looked at Troy. Troy looked at Gabriella.

"I didn't know if you wanted to tell him together or if you or I should tell him" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled at Troy's thoughtfulness.

"Do you want to say one and I will say the other?" Gabriella asked.

"Okay" Troy said.

"Rob, your sister's name is going to be Everly" Gabriella said.

"What's my brother's name?" Robert asked.

Troy smiled.

"Your brother's name is Easton" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"What do you think, bud?" Gabriella asked.

"I like them" Robert said.

The couple smiled.

"But mommy where are they going to live?" Robert asked innocently.

Troy chuckled.

"At our house, silly" Gabriella said.

"No, but we have mommy and daddy's room and my room upstairs" Robert said.

Troy smiled.

"The babies are going to be in mommy and daddy's room" Troy said.

"Oh" Robert said.

"The babies are going to be with mommy and daddy for a while until they are a little bigger. After they get a little bigger, we are going to make a room for both of them" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Do you understand, baby?" Gabriella asked.

Robert nodded. Gabriella smiled.

"Give me hugs" Gabriella said.

Robert walked over to his mother and hugged her.

"I love you so much" Gabriella said kissing her son's head.

That night, Gabriella was trying to stretch her body out so that she could relieve her back pain. Troy came into the room and saw Gabriella with her leaning over the bed. He knew that she was uncomfortable. Troy walked over to Gabriella and gently started massaging her back. Gabriella moaned.

"Come on. Lay down baby" Troy said.

"I tried to do it myself" Gabriella said.

"I know. But this is now a two-person job" Troy said.

Gabriella laid down on their bed. Troy started to gently massage his wife's back.

"I feel like a burden" Gabriella said softly.

Troy stopped massaging Gabriella's back when he heard her speak.

"Brie" Troy said softly.

Gabriella turned over carefully and looked at Troy. Troy kneeled to her level. Gabriella's eyes filled with tears.

"I can't get comfortable without help. I can't sit down without help. I can't do anything without help" Gabriella cried.

"Baby, you will never be a burden. Never. I love you so much and I want to help. I don't want you to be in pain. I didn't want you to go through this pregnancy alone. You can come to me and ask me to do anything" Troy said.

"You gave up-" Gabriella started.

"No, we aren't going there. I did what I thought was right for us. You are my everything, Brie" Troy said.

Tears ran down Gabriella's cheeks.

"You mean everything to me. So, let's try to figure out how to make your back pain go away, okay?" Troy said changing the subject.

Gabriella nodded. Troy smiled. He leaned down and kissed Gabriella's lips.

"I love you" Troy whispered.

"I love you too. Thank you" Gabriella whispered through her tears.

Troy smoothed Gabriella's hair back and wiped her tears away.


	23. I'm So Ready to Meet These Babies

A month later, Gabriella was eight months pregnant. She was ready for the babies to come. She was due in two weeks. Gabriella had been having Braxton Hicks contractions and knew the babies were going to come soon. Troy had been Gabriella's emotional support system. When she felt like she couldn't carry the babies anymore, Troy's words motivated her to keep going. Gabriella couldn't have asked for a better husband. She also had officially taken a leave of absence from her law firm until the babies were born. Gabriella was also going to Dr. A's every week now that she was closer to her due date. Everything seemed to be going as planned. One day, Troy came home from dropping off Robert at preschool and smiled when he saw Gabriella in her pajamas lying on the couch watching television.

"Hey, beautiful. How are you feeling?" Troy asked.

"Are you going anywhere else today?" Gabriella asked taking his hand in hers.

Troy shook his head.

"I have to go pick Rob up from school. But, other than that, no. Why?" Troy asked.

"Stay here with me" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He leaned over and kissed Gabriella's forehead.

"Don't worry baby. Nothing will happen" Troy said.

"I just worry about it" Gabriella said speaking about potentially going into labor early.

"I know. But, I'm here now. Plus, you got this. You don't need my help" Troy said.

Gabriella shook her head.

"Yes I do" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He wrapped his arm around Gabriella's shoulders. Gabriella leaned her head against Troy's.

"Everything is going to be fine. Dr. A said that the babies are healthy and ready to go" Troy said.

"I'm just nervous" Gabriella said.

"I know. But it will happen soon" Troy said.

A couple of hours later, Robert came home from preschool. He walked over to Gabriella and hugged her.

"How was school baby?" Gabriella asked.

"Good. Mommy, did you take a nap?" Robert asked.

Gabriella smiled.

"Yeah. The babies are making me really tired" Gabriella said moving a stray hair from her son's face.

"Babies, stop making mommy tired. I want her to play with me" Robert said to Gabriella's bump.

The couple smiled.

"I don't think that's how it works, bud" Troy said.

Robert whined. Gabriella looked at Troy and shook her head. Troy looked at Robert sympathetically. He sat down on the floor so that his back was leaning against the couch that Gabriella was laying on. Troy opened his arms and Robert walked into them and sat on his lap.

"The babies are making mommy tired because they are going to come out soon" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"But, I don't want them to bother mommy" Robert said.

"I know. I don't either. But, in a couple of weeks, the babies will be here and mommy will be okay" Troy said.

"When the babies are here, mommy will be awake?" Robert asked his father.

Troy smiled and nodded.

"Yeah" Troy said.

"Okay" Robert said.

Gabriella smiled. She leaned over carefully and kissed Robert's cheek.

"Thank you for taking care of me, sweetheart" Gabriella said.

"Daddy said that I'm his twin and that I take good care of you" Robert said.

Troy smiled.

"You are baby. Go play upstairs, okay?" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Robert said.

Robert hugged and kissed his mother and went upstairs. Troy looked at Gabriella and smiled.

"He's your son" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled and nodded. Gabriella took a deep breath and placed her hand on Troy's shoulder. Troy took Gabriella's hand.

"Breathe through it, baby" Troy said knowing that she was having a contraction.

Gabriella breathed through the contraction and then relaxed. Troy looked at Gabriella.

"You okay?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded. Troy leaned over and kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"I'm starting to feel them pressing on everything again" Gabriella said.

"We have to watch it and tell Dr. A next week" Troy said.

A couple of days later, it was the middle of the night. Gabriella groaned in her sleep and opened her eyes. She placed her hand on her expanding stomach. Another contraction. Gabriella placed her hand on Troy's shoulder. Troy woke up and instantly became concerned.

"Brie?" Troy called.

Troy heard Gabriella breathing heavily. He turned on his bedside lamp. Troy took Gabriella's hand in his own. He whispered encouraging words to her. Once the contraction was over, Gabriella's body relaxed.

"Brie?" Troy called again.

Gabriella looked at Troy.

"How many have you had tonight?" Troy asked.

"Two" Gabriella said tiredly.

"Okay. In the morning, we need to call Dr. A" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Are you going to go back to sleep?" Troy asked.

"Going to try to" Gabriella said.

"Okay baby. Wake me up if you need me or if you have another one, okay?" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"Don't be scared, sweetheart" Troy said softly.

"It's hard not to" Gabriella said.

"I know. But, think of it this way, the babies are going to be here soon" Troy said.

Gabriella shrugged. She closed her eyes and fell back asleep. The next day, Gabriella had more contractions. Troy was getting worried. He had called Dr. A and she told him to bring Gabriella in. Once Gabriella was back home, Troy kept an eye on her. That night, Gabriella woke up to another contraction. She got up and walked downstairs. Gabriella rubbed her bump in small soothing circles.

"Come on guys. Mommy needs some sleep" Gabriella said.

Gabriella heard footsteps and then the light went on in the living room. Troy walked to the couch and sat down next to Gabriella.

"What's happening?" Troy asked placing his hand on top of hers.

"Contractions" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled sympathetically.

"Are they the same as earlier?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded. Troy leaned over and kissed Gabriella's forehead. The couple sat downstairs for a couple of hours. Later that morning, Gabriella was making lunch for herself. Troy had been staying close to her so that he could help her if she needed him. Troy had left to go pick Robert up from school. Once Troy and Robert came home, Gabriella was washing her dish and placing it in the dishwasher.

"Hi mommy" Robert said.

"Hi baby. How was school today?" Gabriella asked.

"Good" Robert said.

Gabriella closed her eyes and grabbed the counter. She tried to breathe deeply. Gabriella felt liquid running down her leg.

"Mommy, did you just go pee?" Robert asked.

Gabriella tried to hide the pain that she was feeling from her son.

"No Rob. That means the baby is coming. Can you go get daddy?" Gabriella asked.

Robert left the room and came back with Troy.

"Brie" Troy breathed as he saw the water on the floor.

Gabriella looked at her husband and nodded.

"Call Chad" Gabriella said softly.

Troy nodded. He called Chad and asked him to pick up Rob. A couple of minutes later, Chad picked up Rob and wished Troy and Gabriella luck. Once Rob was gone, Troy looked at Gabriella.

"Let's get you to the hospital" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"Are you okay?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"I just need to get to the hospital" Gabriella said.

"Okay. Let me get your bag" Troy said.

Troy walked calmly upstairs and brought Gabriella's bag that she had packed a couple of weeks ago downstairs.

"Alright, let's go have some babies" Troy said.

Gabriella giggled but then winced. She breathed through the contraction and felt Troy rub her back. Once the contraction was over, Troy smiled sympathetically. The couple left the house and drove to the hospital. An hour later, Gabriella was hooked up to three different monitors. Two were for the babies and one was for her. Troy tried to comfort Gabriella, but nothing worked. She just cried.

"I can't do it" Gabriella cried.

"Yes you can, baby. I know you can" Troy said.

"It hurts" Gabriella said.

Troy smoothed Gabriella's hair back and kissed her forehead.

"I know. I wish I could take the pain away" Troy said.

Dr. A came into the room and checked Gabriella.

"Three. You are going to be here for a while" Dr. A said.

Gabriella moaned in pain and defeat. Dr. A left the room. Troy rubbed Gabriella's back soothingly.

"I love you" Troy said softly.

Gabriella looked at him.

"I love you too. It really hurts, Troy" Gabriella said softly.

"I know sweetheart. You are doing great though" Troy said.

Hours passed and Gabriella was exhausted. She had just asked for her epidural. After Gabriella got her epidural, Troy looked at her and smiled.

"How are you feeling?" Troy asked.

"Better" Gabriella said softly.

Troy smiled. He leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"Maybe you should get a little sleep to keep your strength up" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. She fell asleep. A couple of hours later, Dr. A had just left the room. Gabriella was at seven centimeters.

"How are you feeling baby?" Troy asked.

"I want them out" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Just a little longer" Troy said kissing Gabriella's cheek.

Gabriella groaned.

"Are you in any pain?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shook her head.

"Okay" Troy said.

"Did you call my mom and your parents?" Gabriella asked.

"Not yet. I thought that we should call them after the babies are here since we don't know how everything is going to go" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Do you need anything?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shook her head. Troy placed a kiss on Gabriella's forehead. A few hours went by, Gabriella was ready to go. Two nurses wheeled Gabriella's hospital bed into an operating room if something went wrong with one of the twins. Troy followed behind them. Dr. A set up her equipment around the hospital bed and looked at Gabriella.

"You ready to meet these babies?" Dr. A asked.

Gabriella nodded. Troy kissed Gabriella's head softly and squeezed her hand to let her know that he was there.

"You ready to meet our babies?" Troy asked.

Gabriella looked at Troy and nodded nervously. Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"Don't go anywhere" Gabriella said.

"I'm right here baby. I'm not leaving you" Troy said.

The nurses positioned Gabriella. Dr. A gave Gabriella instructions on what was going to happen. When the next contraction came, Gabriella started pushing. An hour and a half later, Dr. A announced that the first baby's head was out.

"Almost done, baby. Just a little more" Troy said.

Gabriella pushed and screamed. She fell back against the bed.

"I can't. I can't" Gabriella said shakily.

"Yes, you can. The baby is almost out" Dr. A said.

"Troy" Gabriella whined.

"Brie, look at me" Troy said.

Gabriella looked at Troy tearfully.

"You can do this. I know you can. The two little people that we've been talking about for as long as we've been married are going to be here in a little while. You got this, Brie" Troy said.

Gabriella took a deep breath and looked at Dr. A. Dr. A smiled.

"Ready?" Dr. A asked.

Gabriella nodded and started pushing again. She screamed.

"Head's out, Gabi. Just one more push and you will meet your first twin" Dr. A said.

Troy smiled.

"One more push, babe" Troy said.

Gabriella took a deep breath and pushed hard. She felt the baby leave her body. Dr. A placed the baby on her chest. Gabriella started crying. She looked at Troy, who had started crying.

"It's a boy!" Dr. A said.

"Easton" the couple said simultaneously.

Gabriella looked down at her newborn son. She looked up at Troy. Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"I love you so much, baby. Let's do it again" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled softly but then she closed her eyes.

"She's coming" Gabriella said loud enough for Dr. A to hear.

The nurse took Easton to go get checked out. Troy went back to his original place next to Gabriella. He kissed Gabriella's forehead.

"You ready to meet our daughter, Gabriella?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded her head painfully.

"Breathe, baby" Troy said.

"Gabi, on the next contraction, I want you to start pushing again" Dr. A said.

Gabriella nodded. She groaned and started pushing. Troy rubbed her back. Gabriella fell back against the bed.

"I can't do it anymore, Troy" Gabriella said breathlessly.

"Brie, you can. Just a little more and our baby girl will be here" Troy said.

"I'm so tired" Gabriella cried.

"I know, sweetie. I know. We need to get this baby out and you are the only one that can do that. I know how bad you want to meet her" Dr. A said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy smiled.

"Let's meet our baby girl, Brie" Troy said.

Gabriella looked at Dr. A and started pushing again. Twenty minutes later, Gabriella screamed and gripped Troy's hand. Troy winced.

"Head's out, Gabi. One more push" Dr. A said.

Troy smiled.

"One more push, baby" Troy said.

Gabriella gathered the last bit of energy that she had and pushed. She heard her daughter cry and fell back against the bed. Dr. A placed the baby on Gabriella's chest. Troy was in tears. Gabriella looked over at him and started crying. Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"I love you so much, baby. So much" Troy said.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

An hour and a half later, Gabriella was back in her hospital room. The babies were still being seen by a pediatrician. Gabriella closed her eyes. She was so tired. Gabriella felt a warm hand on her stomach. She opened her eyes slowly.

"You feeling okay?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"I'm so tired" Gabriella said softly.

Troy kissed Gabriella's forehead softly.

"Did you call my mom and your parents?" Gabriella asked with her eyes closed.

"Yeah. I called Chad also and told him and Tay" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"They said that they would bring Rob home when we got home" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. An hour later, a nurse came in rolling two bassinets. Gabriella opened her eyes and smiled. The nurse picked up one of the twins and placed them in Gabriella's arms. Gabriella looked down and smiled.

"Everly" Gabriella breathed.

Troy smiled. Gabriella looked at her daughter. Troy picked Easton up. Gabriella carefully moved over in the hospital bed so that Troy could lay down next to her.

"Easton" Gabriella said looking at her son.

Troy smiled. He leaned down and kissed Easton's head. Troy then kissed Everly's head.

"Two healthy twins" Troy said.

"I can't believe they are here" Gabriella said.

"Me either" Troy said.

Troy and Gabriella got acquainted with their new additions. Two days later, Gabriella and the twins were discharged from the hospital. Troy texted Chad asking him to bring Rob home in an hour so that they could get organized at home with the babies. Once they were home and settled, the doorbell rang. Gabriella was holding Easton and Troy was holding Everly. Troy walked to the door and opened it. Chad and Robert stood at the door. Troy kneeled in front of Robert.

"Rob, look who is here" Troy said.

Rob looked at Everly and smiled. Troy smiled.

"You happy?" Troy asked.

Rob nodded.

"Can I give her a kiss?" Robert asked.

Troy nodded.

"You have to be really gentle though, okay?" Troy said.

"Okay" Rob said.

Robert gently kissed his baby's sister's head. Troy carefully stood up. Chad, Troy, and Robert walked into the house. Chad smiled when he saw Gabriella holding Easton.

"Hi baby" Gabriella said.

Robert walked over to his mother and looked down at Easton.

"Mommy, is that my baby brother?" Rob asked.

Gabriella smiled and nodded.

"Yeah. His name is Easton" Gabriella said.

"Can I give him a kiss?" Robert asked.

"Yeah. But, you have to be really gentle" Gabriella said.

Robert kissed Easton's head and smiled.

"Can you believe these guys were in my tummy?" Gabriella asked.

Robert shook his head.

"It's pretty cool, huh?" Gabriella said.

Robert nodded. Everly let out a cry. Robert turned to his father and saw him bouncing Everly up and down trying to soothe her.

"Mommy, why is she crying?" Robert asked.

Gabriella smiled.

"Babies cry because they can't talk like mommy, daddy, or you can. They cry to tell us that they need or want something" Gabriella said.

"What does she want?" Robert asked.

Gabriella smiled. She kissed Robert's head softly.

"She probably needs to be fed" Gabriella said.

"I can share my snacks with her" Robert said.

Troy smiled.

"Bud, she doesn't have teeth yet. She can't chew snacks like you yet. Mommy needs to feed her" Troy explained.

"What does she eat then?" Robert asked concerned for his sister.

"She eats mommy's milk" Gabriella said.

"Mommy's milk?" Robert asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"Yeah. Little babies need milk from their mommy to help them grow up to be big and strong like you" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled at how good Gabriella was at explaining what was happening to their son.

"I can get the milk from the refrigerator" Robert said.

Troy chuckled. Gabriella glared at Troy.

"It's not as easy as it looks" Gabriella said to her husband.

Troy smiled.

"Rob, when mommy had the babies, her body gives the babies milk. They can't drink regular milk yet" Troy said.

"Oh. So special milk?" Rob asked still trying to understand.

Gabriella nodded.

"Yeah. Special milk for the babies" Troy said.

"Oh" Robert said.

"Do you understand, bud?" Troy asked.

"Yeah" Robert said.

The couple smiled. The couple knew that it would take time for Robert to understand what was happening. But, they were thankful that the babies were here and healthy and loved by their big brother.


	24. There's Something Wrong With Me

An hour later, Gabriella was in the bedroom feeding Easton. She had closed the door so that she could have some privacy since she hadn't had any since before, she went into labor. There was a knock at the door.

"Mommy" Robert said through the door.

"Yes, baby?" Gabriella asked.

"What are you doing?" Robert asked.

Gabriella smiled. She knew Robert was trying to figure out what was going on. He had just met his brother and sister an hour ago.

"Rob, I'm feeding your brother right now" Gabriella said.

"Mommy's milk?" Robert asked.

Gabriella laughed.

"Yes, mommy's milk" Gabriella said.

"Can we play after you are done?" Robert asked.

Gabriella smiled.

"Maybe a little later, baby. I need to feed Everly too" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Robert said.

Ten minutes later, Gabriella walked out of the bedroom. She smiled when she saw Robert waiting for her.

"Rob, you didn't need to wait for me" Gabriella said.

"I wanted to wait for you" Robert said.

Gabriella and Robert walked downstairs. She carefully placed Easton in the pack and play that Troy had now brought downstairs. Troy smiled.

"How did he do?" Troy asked referring to Easton.

"Fine. Now I need to feed Everly" Gabriella said.

Troy placed their daughter into Gabriella's arms.

"Are you doing something right now?" Gabriella asked.

Troy shook his head.

"No, what do you need me to do?" Troy asked.

"Can you go upstairs and play with Rob? He asked me if I would play with him, but I've been feeding" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"Yeah" Troy said.

"I just don't want him to think we are ignoring him or anything" Gabriella said.

"I got it. You do your thing" Troy said kissing Gabriella's cheek and Everly's head.

Troy and Gabriella walked upstairs and then went their separate ways. Troy walked into Rob's room and smiled when he saw Rob playing with his blocks.

"Hey bud, can I play with you?" Troy asked.

"Yeah daddy" Robert said.

Troy smiled. He sat down next to Rob.

"What do you think of your baby brother and baby sister?" Troy asked.

"They are so tiny, daddy" Robert said.

"Yeah. When they are small, they need to be with mommy and daddy a lot of the time" Troy said.

Robert nodded.

"Easton looks like you" Robert said.

Troy smiled.

"You think so?" Troy asked.

Robert nodded.

"He has your hair color" Robert said.

Troy smiled.

"What about Everly?" Troy asked placing a block down.

"She looks like mommy" Robert said.

Troy smiled.

"You know that mommy and daddy love you so much right?" Troy said.

Robert nodded.

"And just because the babies are here, doesn't mean that we won't make time to play with you. We just may not be able to play right when you ask" Troy said.

"Like when mommy said that she was going to play with me later?" Robert asked.

Troy nodded.

"Yeah. Mommy really wants to play with you. But now that the babies are here, we have to move things around a little bit" Troy said.

"Oh" Robert said.

"Do you get what I am saying, bud?" Troy asked.

Robert nodded. An hour later, Gabriella knocked on Robert's bedroom door. Troy and Robert looked up at Gabriella.

"They are taking their nap" Gabriella said.

"Did they go down okay?" Troy asked.

"Yeah. They got a little fussy. But, I handled it" Gabriella said sitting down next to Troy.

Robert scooted closer to Gabriella. He leaned his head on her shoulder. Gabriella looked down at Robert.

"Are you having fun with daddy?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah. Can you play now?" Robert asked.

Gabriella smiled and kissed Robert's head softly.

"Come here" Gabriella said.

Robert moved so that he was sitting in Gabriella's lap.

"Give me hugs" Gabriella said.

Robert hugged his mother. Gabriella rubbed his son's back.

"I love you so much, Rob" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. The couple and Rob played together for a little while until it was Rob's bedtime. After they put Rob down to bed, Troy and Gabriella heard the twins start crying. They walked into their bedroom. Troy picked up Everly, while Gabriella picked up Easton. The couple bounced their children in their arms until they calmed down. Troy looked at Gabriella and smiled.

"Is he asleep?" Troy whispered.

Gabriella looked down and smiled.

"Yeah" Gabriella said.

Troy looked down at Easton and saw that he was asleep as well. The couple carefully placed the babies in their pack and play. Troy looked at Gabriella.

"How are you feeling?" Troy asked.

"Tired" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly. Gabriella wrapped her arms around Troy's neck.

"And sore" Gabriella mumbled.

"You need to take it easy. Dr. A told you that too" Troy said softly.

Gabriella nodded.

"I know. I'm just trying to get everything situated with the twins and with Rob" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled sympathetically.

"Let me help you with that. You don't have to oversee everything right away" Troy said.

Gabriella looked down at her hands.

"It's just so much stuff" Gabriella said.

"I know. But, you have me to help you" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. She looked at Troy with tears in her eyes.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

Troy kissed Gabriella's forehead.

"I love you too baby. If you feel overwhelmed, tell me what to do and I will do it" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. The couple went to bed. At two in the morning, the couple heard the babies cry. They got up and lifted each one up into their arms.

"They need a diaper change" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Where are the diapers, babe?" Troy asked.

"Um, there should be some in the cabinet" Gabriella said.

Troy walked to the cabinet in their bedroom and saw that they were out of diapers. He cursed himself.

"We are out. I'm going to run and get diapers" Troy said.

"Okay. I'm sorry" Gabriella said.

Troy shook his head.

"It's not your fault" Troy said kissing Gabriella's lips.

Troy left the house. Ten minutes later, Troy returned home with three packages of diapers. He walked upstairs and placed the packages in the cabinet. Troy took two diapers and handed one to Gabriella, who was trying to calm both babies down. Troy and Gabriella changed the twins' diapers. Troy lifted Easton into his arms and saw him start to fall asleep. Gabriella lifted Everly into her arms and watched her fall asleep.

"Thank you for getting diapers" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Of course, baby" Troy said.

The couple put the twins down to bed. They got back into their bed and fell asleep. A couple of hours later, the couple heard the twins' cry. Gabriella knew that she needed to feed them. She woke up and got out of bed. Gabriella picked up Everly and walked back to the bed. She sat up in bed and pulled her shirt down. Gabriella brought Everly up to her breast and watched her eat her early morning meal. Troy stirred and opened his eyes. He saw Gabriella feeding Everly and sat up.

"You should have woken me up, Brie" Troy said.

"It's okay. I got it. You don't have boobs" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He kissed Gabriella's head softly.

"I love you" Troy said.

"I love you too. Can you get Easton up?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah" Troy said.

Troy got up and picked up Easton and got back into bed. He had Easton lay on his chest. Troy rubbed his newborn son's back.

"When he's not crying, he's so calm" Troy said kissing his son's head.

Gabriella smiled. She looked down and saw that Everly had pulled away from her breast. She stood up and patted her daughter's back gently until she burped.

"Time to switch?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded. Troy placed Easton on their bed. Gabriella placed Everly into Troy's arms. She then lifted Easton up and kissed his head. Gabriella sat back up in bed and fed Easton. After Easton was done eating, she burped him. Gabriella looked at Troy.

"Did you sleep?" Troy asked.

"Not really. I was on high alert" Gabriella said.

"Do you want me to take them downstairs so you can get a nap in?" Troy asked.

Gabriella shook her head.

"No, I'm okay" Gabriella said.

Troy looked at Gabriella's appearance. He saw how tired she was. Gabriella was also still recovering from giving birth not even a week ago.

"Babe" Troy said softly.

Gabriella looked at Troy.

"I am going to call my mom and have her come over to help me watch the two of them. You need to get some sleep" Troy said.

"Troy-" Gabriella started.

"Brie. You can't be on high alert for days on end. You need to rest. You just gave birth to twins" Troy said.

"I can take care of them, Troy" Gabriella said.

"Baby, this is not about that. I know you can take care of them, sweetheart. But, you need to also take care of yourself too" Troy said.

Tears ran down Gabriella's cheeks. She was exhausted. She was emotional. She knew Troy was right.

"Okay" Gabriella said breathlessly.

Troy moved closer to Gabriella and kissed her lips.

"Just an hour or two" Troy said.

Gabriella sighed. Troy carried Everly downstairs and placed her in the pack and play. He then jogged upstairs. Troy opened his arms. Gabriella placed their son into them. Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's forehead.

"Get some rest" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy carried Easton downstairs and placed him in the pack and play next to his sister. Two hours later, Gabriella came downstairs. She heard silence. Gabriella walked into the living room and smiled when she saw Lucille and Troy talking quietly while the twins were napping in their pack and plays. Lucille turned around and smiled.

"Hi honey" Lucille said getting up to hug Gabriella.

Gabriella hugged her mother-in-law.

"Hi. How long have they been down for?" Gabriella asked.

"An hour. Mom came over an hour and a half ago" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"How are you feeling?" Lucille asked.

"Really tired and overwhelmed" Gabriella said.

"I remember that. But, I only had one baby" Lucille said.

Troy smiled. He placed his hand on Gabriella's lower back.

"How was your nap?" Troy asked.

"Fine. But, I still feel exhausted" Gabriella said.

"You've been up for four days straight" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"How have the nights been with them?" Lucille asked.

Gabriella shook her head.

"Crazy" Gabriella said.

Troy chuckled.

"Every time we put them down, they cry for something else" Gabriella said.

Troy rubbed Gabriella's back soothingly.

"Are you breastfeeding?" Lucille asked.

The couple nodded.

"That's been an experience in itself" Gabriella said.

"Sore everywhere?" Lucille asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"And pain" Gabriella said.

"It will get better. You guys are only a week in. This will be the worst" Lucille said.

"Hopefully it gets better soon" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled sympathetically.

"Now that they are sleeping, you can take your shower Brie" Troy said.

"Okay. But, what if-" Gabriella started.

"Go take your shower. We have it under control, honey. Don't worry" Lucille said.

"Thank you" Gabriella said.

Lucille smiled.

"No problem, honey. Rob is taking a nap as well" Lucille said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Gabriella went upstairs and took a much-needed shower. Thirty minutes later, Gabriella came downstairs and smiled when she saw Lucille holding Easton and Troy holding Everly. Troy looked up and smiled.

"How was your shower, baby?" Troy asked.

"Much needed" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Do you feel a little better?" Troy asked.

"A little" Gabriella said.

Gabriella sat down next to Troy and kissed Everly's head softly. Everly let out a tiny yawn. Troy smiled.

"I think someone is a little tired still" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled. The couple and Lucille heard footsteps coming from the stairs. A couple of moments later, Robert walked into the living room.

"Hi baby" Gabriella said opening her arms.

Rob walked into his mother's arms. Gabriella kissed Rob's cheek.

"How was your nap?" Gabriella asked.

"Good" Robert said.

"Did you say hi to grandma?" Gabriella asked.

Robert slid off Gabriella's lap. He walked over to Lucille and leaned against her shoulder.

"Hi Rob" Lucille said.

"Hi, grandma" Robert said.

"How do you like being a big brother?" Lucille asked.

"They yell and scream all night" Robert said.

Troy chuckled.

"But, do you love your baby sister and baby brother?" Lucille asked.

"Yeah" Robert said.

Gabriella smiled.

"He's been so helpful with them. Mommy and daddy really appreciate your help, bud" Gabriella said.

Robert smiled. The little family and Lucille talked for a little while longer. That night, Gabriella was changing Easton's diaper. She was getting ready for bed. Troy had Everly downstairs. Everly had started to get fussy so Troy had taken her downstairs to calm down and help Gabriella not feel overwhelmed. Gabriella kissed Easton's cheek softly. She walked down the hall and checked on Robert, who was still fast asleep. Gabriella smiled. She walked back to the bedroom and looked down and saw that Easton was asleep. Gabriella carefully placed her son in his pack and play. She then walked downstairs to find Troy and Everly. Gabriella walked into the living room and smiled when she saw Everly laying on Troy's chest. Troy had his eyes closed but was rubbing Everly's back to continuously soothe her. Gabriella walked over to Troy and kissed his cheek. Troy opened his eyes and smiled tiredly.

"Is he asleep?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"Okay. I'll bring her upstairs" Troy whispered.

Gabriella smiled. Troy stood up carefully with Everly in his arms. The couple walked upstairs to their bedroom and placed Everly into her pack and play. Gabriella wrapped her arms around Troy's waist. Troy placed his chin on top of Gabriella's head and rubbed her back soothingly.

"You feeling okay?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"Just really tired and swollen" Gabriella said.

"Are you supposed to go get checked out by Dr. A again?" Troy asked.

"Yeah. Next week" Gabriella said.

"Okay. I can have Chad come over and help watch them so that you can have some time to yourself" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled. She kissed Troy's cheek.

"Thanks" Gabriella said.

"You said something is swollen. What's swollen?" Troy asked.

"Everything. I didn't just have one baby come out of me" Gabriella said.

Troy kissed Gabriella's head softly.

"Take advantage of the time that you have out" Troy said.

"I don't really want to see anyone like this" Gabriella said.

"Like what?" Troy asked.

"Like this. I'm swollen. All the weight is everywhere. My emotions are everywhere" Gabriella said getting emotional.

Troy's face softened.

"Brie, you look so beautiful. So beautiful. Your emotions will go back to normal" Troy said.

"I can't even think straight" Gabriella said as tears ran down her cheeks.

"Sweetheart, it's okay" Troy said softly.

"I just feel like something is wrong with me" Gabriella cried.

"What do you mean you feel like something is wrong with you?" Troy asked.

"I've never been this emotional. This is not me" Gabriella said.

"Brie, you just had two babies. It comes with the territory" Troy said.

Gabriella shook her head.

"It feels different" Gabriella said.

"Maybe we need to talk to Dr. A" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"You are not sleeping well. I know that" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Maybe something is happening" Troy said.

"I don't know" Gabriella said.

"Next week when you go, tell her what you are feeling. Maybe it is normal but you just didn't have it with Rob" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"But, in the meantime, you need to sleep" Troy said.

Gabriella leaned in and kissed Troy's lips.

"You too" Gabriella said.

Troy and Gabriella got into bed and fell asleep as soon as their head hit the pillow.


	25. Bickering Parents

A week later, Gabriella came home and smiled when she saw Rob holding Everly on the couch with Troy's help.

"What do you think, bud?" Troy asked.

"Daddy, I think she needs a diaper change" Robert said.

Troy picked Everly up. He grabbed a diaper and wipes and quickly changed his daughter's diaper. Troy threw the dirty diaper in the trash. Gabriella smiled at Troy. Troy looked at Gabriella.

"How was your appointment?" Troy asked.

"I'll talk to you about it when Rob goes to bed" Gabriella said.

"Is it serious?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"Kind of" Gabriella said.

Troy looked at his mother, who was also helping with the babies.

"Mom, we will be right back. We are going to go upstairs for a minute" Troy said.

"Okay" Lucille said.

The couple walked upstairs and went into their bedroom. Troy sat down on the edge of their bed and looked at his wife.

"What did she say?" Troy asked.

"Basically I have the baby blues. It's normal. It's supposed to go away after two weeks" Gabriella said.

"Did she say anything that could help it go away faster?" Troy asked.

"She just said to talk to you about how I am feeling. She also said that I should be getting out of the house just so that there is a change of scenery. We also need to ask my mom to help out as well. I feel bad relying on just your mom. Plus, we need the help" Gabriella said.

"Okay. That seems manageable" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I am glad that we know what this is though" Troy said.

"Me too" Gabriella said.

Troy motioned for Gabriella to come closer to him. Gabriella walked closer to Troy. Troy wrapped his arms around Gabriella's waist. Gabriella wrapped her arms around Troy's shoulders and leaned her head against his. Troy kissed Gabriella's shoulder.

"I love you" Troy said.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips. Gabriella pulled back and looked at Troy, who smiled at her. Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips again.

"Come on" Troy said taking her hand in his.

The couple entwined their fingers together and walked downstairs. They walked into the living room and laid down on the couch snuggled. Gabriella laid her head on Troy's chest. She took a deep breath and released it. Gabriella hid her face in Troy's shoulder. Troy felt Gabriella start crying. Lucille looked at the couple.

"Gabi, are you okay honey?" Lucille asked.

Troy nodded to his mother.

"She's just going through something" Troy said.

Lucille smiled sympathetically and understood. Troy rubbed Gabriella's back and kissed her head.

"I love you. We are going to get through this okay?" Troy whispered in her ear.

"I love you too and I am sorry" Gabriella whispered through her tears.

"You have nothing to be sorry for" Troy whispered into her ear.

Troy held Gabriella and let her cry. He grabbed a blanket that was on the back of the couch and placed it over Gabriella so that she could have a little bit of privacy.

"Daddy, what's wrong with mommy?" Robert asked.

Troy smiled.

"Mommy's okay" Troy said.

"Why is she crying?" Robert asked.

"Bud, remember when mommy had the babies in her tummy and she would cry or get mad?" Troy asked.

Robert nodded.

"This is kind of like that. Now that the babies are out, mommy is trying to get back to normal. So, sometimes she will cry" Troy said.

Robert moved the blanket so that he could see Gabriella's face.

"Mommy, I love you" Robert said.

Troy smiled. Gabriella looked at Robert. Robert leaned over and kissed Gabriella.

"That was really nice, Rob" Troy said.

Robert smiled. A couple of hours later, Gabriella was feeding Easton upstairs in the bedroom with the door closed. There was a knock on the door.

"Brie, are you okay?" Troy asked.

"Yeah. Just feeding" Gabriella said.

"Okay. Let me know when you want to switch" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Fifteen minutes later, Gabriella came downstairs and smiled when she saw Troy holding Everly, who had fallen asleep on his chest. Troy looked at Gabriella.

"She just fell asleep" Troy said.

"I have to wake her up" Gabriella said.

Gabriella placed Easton on Troy's chest and carefully lifted Everly from his arms. Everly started crying.

"It's okay baby. Don't cry" Gabriella said bouncing Everly in her arms.

Everly started to calm down. Troy smiled.

"I'm going to go feed her" Gabriella said looking at Everly in her arms.

Gabriella walked upstairs. An hour later, Gabriella came downstairs with Everly. She smiled when she saw Rob sitting next to Troy and leaning his head against his father's shoulder.

"Mommy, he's so sleepy" Robert said.

"That's because he just ate, baby" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. Gabriella sat next to Rob with Everly in her arms.

"When will he get big like me?" Rob asked.

"Not for a long time" Troy said.

"Oh" Robert said.

Troy smiled. That night, Troy had put the twins down to bed. He got into bed and looked at Gabriella. Gabriella snuggled into Troy's chest.

"How are you feeling?" Troy asked.

"Okay. I think that I was trying to hold myself together a little bit so that Rob wouldn't think anything was wrong" Gabriella said.

"You don't have to do that, babe" Troy said.

"I don't want him to be freaked out" Gabriella said.

"Yeah, but there is a point when you just need to be let it go" Troy said.

Gabriella looked down and folded her hands on top of her deflated stomach. Troy closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"I'm not trying to be insensitive, Brie" Troy said placing his hand on Gabriella's thigh.

Gabriella turned over so that she wasn't facing Troy. Troy heard Gabriella breathe shakily. He knew that she was crying. Troy lied down and snaked his arms around Gabriella's waist.

"Brie, baby, I'm sorry. I'm tired and I wasn't thinking" Troy said.

Gabriella unhooked Troy's arms from her. Troy took a deep breath and released it. Gabriella got out of bed and took her pillow.

"Where are you going?" Troy asked.

"To sleep in the guest room" Gabriella said tearfully.

"Brie, don't go" Troy said.

Gabriella walked out of the bedroom and went downstairs. She walked into the guest room and placed her pillow on the bed. Gabriella closed and locked the door behind her. She got into the bed and cried herself to sleep. Meanwhile, Troy was still sitting up in bed. He felt like a jerk for acting that way towards Gabriella, especially when she was going through a rough period. Tomorrow he was going to fix this. The next morning, Troy woke up and saw that Gabriella hadn't come back to bed. He saw that the babies were still in their room too. Troy picked up the twins. One in each arm. It was the first time that he had ever done that. He carefully walked downstairs to the living room. Troy placed both babies on the floor and changed their diapers. Once he changed their diapers, he picked up the twins and placed them in their pack and play. Troy then walked to the guest room and knocked on the door. He didn't hear Gabriella. Troy opened the door slowly and saw her sitting up in bed.

"Hi" Troy said.

Gabriella looked up at Troy.

"Hi" Gabriella said.

"I just changed their diapers. Can I sit down?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"I am sorry about last night" Troy said.

Gabriella looked at Troy.

"I didn't want to show Rob that anything was wrong because I didn't want to scare him. If I "let it go" as you told me to, I know that there could be a time that I freak him out. We would then have not only two babies crying, but a kid crying as well. Rob doesn't need to know anything is wrong because he's four and a half, Troy. If he was older, then yes, we would have to say something. But, not to a four year old" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"I'm sorry for making it look like your fault. It's not your fault or anyone else's" Troy said.

"I just want him to know that mommy is okay" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"I agree. I'm sorry for pushing it and saying what I said, sweetheart" Troy said.

"You have to be gentle, Troy" Gabriella said.

"I'm trying. I am learning as I go" Troy said.

"This may not go away for a while. Like I told you yesterday morning when I was explaining what was happening, I need your support. I already feel out of place. I just need you to help me to figure out how to get out of this dark place. Because I can't do this alone" Gabriella said.

Troy took a deep breath and released it.

"Tell me what you need" Troy said.

"I need us to be a team. You and me. We need to work on this together" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"Can I touch you?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded. Troy moved so that he was sitting next to Gabriella on the guest room bed. He wrapped his arm around Gabriella and kissed her head softly.

"I love you so much. You know that, right?" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled slightly.

"I'll always support you, babe. If you need anything from me, just ask or tell me. Don't let it build like last night. Or if you don't want me doing something or you don't feel comfortable with it, then tell me. We need to talk about all of this. I'll never, ever let you do this alone. Never" Troy said.

Tears filled Gabriella's eyes. Gabriella leaned her head against Troy's chest and let herself cry. Troy held her and rubbed her back as she cried. An hour later, an emotionally exhausted Gabriella looked at Troy after sitting in silence for an hour. She leaned in and kissed Troy's lips passionately. Troy kissed Gabriella back and pulled away slowly. He kissed Gabriella's lips again. Gabriella pulled away slowly and rested her head against Troy's.

"I love you" Gabriella said.

"I love you too. Come on, let's go see if the twins are awake" Troy said.

Gabriella and Troy walked into the living room. Troy walked over to the pack and play and smiled when he saw both babies awake.

"Which one do you want? Both are awake" Troy said.

"I can take either one" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Troy said.

Troy lifted Everly into his arms.

"Hi baby girl. Mommy is going to hold you" Troy said kissing his daughter's head.

Gabriella smiled. Troy carried Everly over to Gabriella. He carefully placed his daughter into Gabriella's arms. Gabriella looked down and smiled. Troy went and picked up Easton and walked over to where Gabriella was sitting on the couch. He looked over at Everly, who had been looking at Gabriella with her dark brown eyes. Troy smiled. He then looked at Easton. The couple heard footsteps coming from the stairs. A moment later, Robert came into the living room.

"Hi bud" Troy said.

"Hi daddy" Robert said as he sat down next to his father.

"How was your sleep?" Troy asked.

"Good" Robert said.

"Did the babies bug you last night with their crying?" Troy asked.

Robert shook his head.

"They were quiet" Robert said.

Troy smiled.

"Good" Troy said.

Gabriella leaned over and smiled.

"Hi Rob" Gabriella said.

"Hi mommy. Did the babies eat?" Robert asked.

"Not yet. They will in a little bit" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Robert said.

Troy smiled. Later that day, Maria had come over to officially meet the babies. She had been on a business trip and hadn't been able to come over and meet the twins. A couple of weeks later, Easton and Everly were a month old. Gabriella was still coming out of her baby blues but was improving every day. Troy had stepped up a lot and had been helping Gabriella any chance that she looked like she needed help. One day, Gabriella came into the kitchen with Easton in her arms. Troy was making a snack for himself. He looked up and smiled.

"Hi baby" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled. She kissed Troy's cheek.

"Did you just change him?" Troy asked.

"Yeah. He had an explosion" Gabriella said.

"Oh okay" Troy said.

"My mom took Rob out for a little while" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Troy said.

"Just so that he could get out of the house and away from all the crying and screaming" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled sympathetically.

"Okay. The office called me" Troy said.

Gabriella looked at Troy.

"Do they need you to go over there?" Gabriella asked.

"The Las Cruces and Santa Fe sites both have been having issues with marketing stuff. I had texted Blake and Mike about going out there. They told me that they were going to go because they knew things were still crazy with the babies. I also said that I am trying to stay close to home so that I could be closer to you, Rob, and the babies" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"Thank you" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"I am going to keep my promise to you. I'll never let you do it alone. At some point though, we do need to figure all of this out" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"And not argue about it" Gabriella said.

"I was thinking that maybe we could have my mom, your mom, Tay, and Chad help out. Just so that you wouldn't be alone" Troy said.

"But what about the nighttime feeding and changing diapers?" Gabriella asked.

Troy took a deep breath and released it.

"Maybe your mom would be best to stay and help. She could stay from the day I leave to the day I came back" Troy said.

"But do you think it's a good idea to go back so soon?" Gabriella asked.

Troy looked at Gabriella.

"Do you want me to stay? I will if you need me to. You know that" Troy said.

"I need help. I would rather have you here since you are their father. You've worked from home before, you can do things here for a while until we have a schedule for the twins set" Gabriella said.

"Okay. I will work from here" Troy said

"I don't want you to resent me for it though" Gabriella said.

Troy's face softened.

"Brie, I would never do that. I asked if you needed me here. You said yes. I made my decision based on our family" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Sorry" Gabriella said softly.

Troy shook his head.

"I know that it scares you to think about. It's okay, baby. But, you need to be honest with me about this. This is one of those things that we need to talk about too" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I just didn't think you would have thought to go back so soon that's all" Gabriella said.

"I have been working from home for a while. But certain things are hard to do when you are not on site" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"That's just something we need to talk about. Also, I have to figure out when I am going to go back to work too" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"We will figure out a plan that works best for us and our situation" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Easton started crying in Gabriella's arms. Gabriella gently bounced him. But, Easton did not stop crying. Gabriella felt his diaper and sighed.

"I need to go change his diaper" Gabriella said.

Gabriella carried her son into the living room and changed his diaper. She lifted Easton up and took the dirty diaper and threw it in the trash. That afternoon, Troy was holding both twins in his arms. He was trying to give Gabriella some time to herself. Troy heard the door unlock, which meant that either his mother or Maria would be coming in. The door opened and Lucille walked into the house. Lucille closed the door and smiled when she saw Troy holding both babies. She walked over to him and took Easton out of Troy's arms.

"Thanks" Troy said.

"No problem. How are they doing?" Lucille asked looking at Easton.

"Fine. Brie is just exhausted. We had an argument earlier" Troy said.

"It was going to happen sometime, Troy" Lucille said.

Troy shrugged.

"I don't like arguing with her" Troy said.

"Do you want to tell me what the argument was about?" Lucille asked.

"Work" Troy said looking down at Everly, who was starting to fall asleep in his arms.

Lucille nodded.

"I know that there is a lot going on and I am not trying to run from this. But, we have things to do also" Troy said.

"Troy, she and all of us know that you love Rob and the twins. But, now things are different. Gabi needs you now more than ever. It was easier when Rob was the only baby. But now there are two new babies. You need to make sacrifices. I understand your work stuff is very important. But, before work, you had Gabi" Lucille said.

Troy nodded. He smiled when he saw Everly looking around in Lucille's arms.

"Gabi was always right next to you. You need to be right next to her" Lucille continued.

Troy nodded.

"How do I make this right?" Troy asked.

Lucille smiled.

"You need to show her how much she, Rob, and the babies mean to you" Lucille said.

Troy nodded. Later that day, Troy walked into the bedroom and saw Gabriella trying to get the twins to take their afternoon nap. Once they were asleep, Gabriella sighed in relief. She looked up and saw Troy standing in the doorway.

"Hi" Troy said.

"Hi" Gabriella said.

"Can we talk about earlier?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded. She grabbed the baby monitor that Taylor had loaned to her. The couple walked downstairs. They went into the living room and sat down on the couch.

"I don't want to argue with you" Gabriella said.

"I don't either" Troy said.

Troy took Gabriella's hand in his own.

"I'm sorry for making you feel alone" Troy said.

Gabriella looked down at their entwined fingers.

"It just made me feel like you were over this and that was hurtful" Gabriella said.

"I'm not over it. You, Rob, and the babies are my entire life. I would stay home every single day if I could. I'm sorry that I hurt your feelings, Brie. I know that I need to make a lot of sacrifices and a lot needs to change with the company. I'm trying to figure all that out. But I want you to know that I will always be here" Troy said.

Gabriella sniffled.

"I'm sorry for being so hard on you" Gabriella said.

Troy wiped a tear that started to run down Gabriella's face.

"They are two and a half weeks old. We were going to fight at some point" Troy said.

Gabriella sniffled. Troy moved closer to Gabriella. Gabriella placed her head on Troy's chest. Troy kissed Gabriella's head softly.

"I love you" Troy said.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.


	26. Two Steps Forward One Step Back

A couple of days later, Gabriella smiled as she helped Rob hold Everly on the couch. Troy had been at his office trying to figure out a plan of how his company was going to proceed now that he would be taking more time off. Gabriella knew that Troy was trying. She was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard Rob scream and start crying. Gabriella looked at her eldest son and saw that Everly had thrown up all over him. She carefully picked up Everly and took her onesie off. Gabriella heard the front door open and Troy walked into the living room and realized what had happened.

"I'll take her. You take Rob" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled.

"Thanks" Gabriella said.

Gabriella took Rob upstairs to the bathroom. She helped Rob change out of his clothes.

"Rob, it was an accident, right?" Gabriella said.

Robert cried but nodded.

"She's a baby. Babies throw up sometimes" Gabriella said.

"But, it just scared me mommy" Robert said.

"I know. If she could talk, she would tell you that she is sorry" Gabriella said.

Gabriella gave Rob a bath. After his bath, Gabriella helped Rob change into a new set of clothes. They both then walked downstairs to the living room. Troy looked at Rob and smiled sympathetically.

"You okay, bud?" Troy asked.

Rob nodded. Troy kneeled down and Rob walked into his arms. He rubbed his back.

"You weren't expecting that were you" Troy said.

Rob shook his head. Gabriella smiled.

"Did she throw up again?" Gabriella asked.

Troy shook his head. That night, Gabriella had fed the babies and put them in their pack and plays. She walked downstairs and smiled when she saw Troy on his laptop with files surrounding him. Gabriella walked over to him and kissed his cheek. Troy looked at Gabriella and smiled.

"What are we doing?" Gabriella asked wrapping her arms around Troy's shoulders from behind.

"Trying to get this marketing issue under control. Are they sleeping?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"They just went down" Gabriella said.

Troy sighed. He closed his laptop and looked at Gabriella. Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips.

"I love you" Troy said.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

"Mommy" Rob called from the stairs.

Gabriella looked at Troy. She walked to where she heard Robert's voice.

"Hey baby. What are you doing up?" Gabriella asked.

"I couldn't sleep" Robert said.

"Did the babies wake you up?" Gabriella asked.

Robert shook his head. Gabriella motioned for Robert to follow her downstairs to where Troy was. Troy looked up and smiled.

"Hey Rob, why are you up so late?" Troy asked.

"I couldn't sleep" Robert said.

Robert sat at the kitchen island next to Troy.

"Did you have a bad dream, baby?" Gabriella asked.

Robert shook his head.

"You know that if something is bothering you, you can talk to daddy or me, right? We don't want you keeping secrets" Gabriella said.

Robert nodded.

"Is something bothering you, Rob?" Troy asked.

"You only care about the babies and not me" Robert said.

Gabriella felt like she got stabbed in the heart. Troy knew Gabriella was upset. He looked at Rob calmly.

"Rob, the twins are babies. You are a big kid. The babies can't do the things that you can. Mommy, daddy, grandma Lucille, grandpa Jack, and grandma Maria are all trying to make sure that they are okay. Mommy gives the babies their milk because they can't eat like you can yet. Daddy needs to make sure everything else is okay too. We love you so much" Troy said.

Robert looked down.

"Rob, look at me" Gabriella said.

Robert looked at his mother.

"I love you so much" Gabriella said.

Robert turned red. Troy smiled.

"Come here, Rob" Troy said.

Robert walked over to Troy. Troy lifted Robert up and set him on the counter.

"How about we do this? Mommy and I will set aside some time for you and us to do something together every week, okay?" Troy said.

"Okay" Robert said.

Gabriella smiled softly. Troy smiled.

"Alright. Mommy is going to take you back to bed, okay?" Troy said.

Robert nodded.

"Give me hugs" Troy said.

Robert hugged his father. Troy kissed Robert's head and helped him get off the counter. Gabriella held her hand out and Robert took it. She and Robert walked upstairs. Five minutes later, Gabriella came back downstairs. Troy looked at her.

"I feel terrible" Gabriella said.

"Hey, this isn't anyone's fault. He feels left out. I think that it is normal for him to feel that way" Troy said.

Gabriella sighed.

"What do we do?" Gabriella asked.

"We need to do what I told him. We need to spend some time with him alone without the babies once a week" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"I just feel guilty. I had-" Gabriella started.

"Brie, baby. This isn't your fault" Troy said.

Troy held Gabriella's cheek in his palm. Gabriella nodded. A couple of weeks later, Gabriella had her first day back at work. She had called Troy three times to make sure that everything was going well. Every time she called, Troy reassured her that everything was fine. One day, Gabriella came home and smiled when she saw that Troy was holding both babies in his arms. She walked into the living room and sat next to Troy. Gabriella leaned over and kissed Troy's lips.

"How was the office today?" Troy asked.

"Cried twice" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"That's better than yesterday" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled. She lifted Easton out of Troy's arms.

"How was your day? When did my mom leave?" Gabriella asked.

"Both had diaper explosions, but we took care of it. Your mom left around two. They went down for a nap right before she left" Troy said.

"Gabriella smiled at Troy sympathetically.

"I'm sorry" Gabriella said.

"It's okay. I forgot what diaper explosions look like and now I have twice as many" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled. She kissed Troy's lips again.

"Did you take a nap when they took a nap?" Gabriella asked.

Troy shook his head.

"I stayed up because I didn't know if they were going to cry or not" Troy said.

"Do you want me to take over while you take a break?" Gabriella asked.

Troy shook his head.

"I don't mind, babe. You've been with them all day" Gabriella said.

Troy shook his head.

"I'm okay, Brie. Really" Troy said.

"Okay. Where's Rob?" Gabriella asked.

"Chad picked him up an hour ago. He had asked if Rob could come over and play" Troy said.

"Okay. Did you give them their milk?" Gabriella asked.

Troy nodded.

"Everly drank all of hers. But, Easton still has some leftover. He threw up a little bit before he could finish it" Troy said.

"Sounds like you had an eventful day" Gabriella said.

"It was really busy. I forgot that I had a meeting today and missed it" Troy said.

Gabriella's eyes widened.

"You did?" Gabriella asked.

Troy nodded.

"I had like five missed calls from the offices" Troy said.

"So what are you going to do?" Gabriella asked.

"I called and explained the situation. We are going to reschedule it" Troy said.

"Maybe you should schedule your meetings when my mom or your mom is here helping out. At least you can get work done that way" Gabriella said.

"Yeah, but I couldn't have predicted that both of them were going to have explosions and be crying for hours" Troy said.

Gabriella sighed. But she was proud of Troy. She lifted Everly into her arms.

"Daddy loves you both so much" Gabriella said kissing her daughter's and son's cheeks.

Troy smiled

"I do. How was the office?" Troy asked.

"I got a new case so that will keep me busy for a while" Gabriella said.

"Are we excited about this new case?" Troy asked watching Easton fall asleep in his arms.

"Yeah. But, it's weird now that the twins are here. I have mom guilt about leaving them" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"That just means you are a good mom" Troy said kissing Gabriella's head.

Gabriella blushed.

"You didn't have dad guilt when you would leave for your business trips" Gabriella said.

"Yes, I did. I just said never said anything" Troy said.

Gabriella leaned over and kissed Troy's lips. Troy pulled back and smiled.

"It will be okay. We need to get used to this new routine" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"It will be hard for a while. But, it will get easier" Troy said.

"I hope so" Gabriella said.

A couple of weeks later, Troy went to East High to watch the wildcats practice with his dad. Jack spotted Troy and walked over to him.

"Hey, how's it going?" Jack asked.

"Good. I just needed a break from all of the babies" Troy said.

"How are the twins doing?" Jack asked.

"They are fine. Brie has been breastfeeding so there's been a lot of stuff going on" Troy said.

"How's Rob handling it?" Jack asked.

"He's doing better. He loves them both. Sometimes they will get on his nerves but he tries to keep his cool the best he can" Troy said.

"And Gabi?" Jack asked.

"She's doing a lot better. I'm really proud of her. She's back at work and I'm home with the twins" Troy said.

"Are you doing your meetings from home now?" Jack asked.

Troy nodded.

"I didn't want to leave Brie home alone with all three of them. Especially since the twins are newborns. Breastfeeding is really a two-person job" Troy said.

Jack smiled.

"Sounds like you had a real taste of parenthood" Jack said.

"Rob was an angel. I thought that he was hard. But, these two are something else" Troy said.

Jack chuckled.

"But you love them" Jack added.

Troy smiled and nodded.

"So much" Troy said.

Troy watched the wildcats practice and then went home. Troy walked into the house and Rob came running down the stairs.

"Woah, why are we running down the stairs?" Troy asked as he caught Rob in his arms.

"Mommy was crying, daddy" Robert said.

"Why was she crying?" Troy asked as he walked into the living room with Robert.

"I don't know, daddy. I asked if she was sad but she didn't tell me" Robert said.

Troy smiled.

"I was just trying to help" Robert continued.

Troy kneeled and motioned for Robert to come closer to him. Robert hugged his father.

"Thank you for trying to help mommy when I was gone, Rob. That was really nice of you" Troy said.

"I don't want her to be sad. When she's sad, I'm sad" Robert said.

"I know. I don't want her to be sad either. But, sometimes this is what happens after mommies have babies. They are kind of sad for a while" Troy explained.

Robert nodded.

"Come on, let's go see what she's doing" Troy said lifting Rob into his arms.

Rob laid his head against Troy's shoulder. Troy walked upstairs and went into his and Gabriella's bedroom. Gabriella looked up at Troy.

"What's going on?" Troy asked.

"Nothing" Gabriella said.

Troy looked at Rob and then looked at Gabriella.

"Rob came running downstairs saying that you were crying" Troy said.

Gabriella looked down at Easton and Everly, who were both in her arms.

"It's nothing" Gabriella said.

Troy looked at Rob and then looked at Gabriella.

"Rob, go play for a little while. I need to talk to mommy" Troy said setting his son on the ground.

"Okay" Robert said.

Robert left the room and Troy looked at Gabriella.

"What's going on?" Troy asked again.

"Nothing, Troy" Gabriella said adamantly.

Troy kneeled and took Easton out of Gabriella's arms. He sighed. Gabriella was waiting for Troy to ask her fifty questions.

"Rob's worried about you. A four and a half-year-old shouldn't be worried about his parents" Troy said.

"I just slipped up" Gabriella mumbled.

Troy took a deep breath and released it.

"Why couldn't you have just said that, babe? I would have understood" Troy said.

"Because I was getting better, and everyone was happy" Gabriella said.

"Brie, things happen. You need to tell me when you feel like that. Just be honest with me" Troy said softly.

Gabriella nodded.

"I'm not mad, sweetheart" Troy said.

"I just feel like I let you guys down" Gabriella said.

"But, you didn't. You just had the twins a month and a half ago. We are still adjusting to everything" Troy said.

Gabriella looked down. Troy kissed Easton and placed him in his pack and play. He sat back in his original spot and put his hand on Gabriella's knee.

"I love you and I'm here to help. So, let me in" Troy said.

Gabriella looked at Troy. Troy smiled slightly.

"I love you too and I'm sorry" Gabriella said softly.

"Don't be. We are going to get through this together. You and me" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. She placed Everly into her pack and play. Gabriella then sat down next to Troy and hugged him. Troy wrapped his arms around Gabriella and kissed her shoulder. Gabriella held onto Troy for several minutes. Troy held Gabriella in his arms. They sat in silence. Rob poked his head into the bedroom. Troy looked up and smiled.

"We'll be out in a minute, Rob" Troy said.

"Okay daddy" Robert said.

Robert left the room. Troy looked down and kissed Gabriella's head softly. Gabriella looked up and kissed Troy's lips. Troy kissed Gabriella back and left a lingering kiss on her lips.

"Tell me if you need some time to yourself, okay?" Troy said gently.

Gabriella nodded. The couple got up and walked out of their bedroom. Troy and Gabriella walked downstairs hand in hand. That night, Gabriella changed into a pair of Troy's sweats. She had just fed the twins. Gabriella got into bed and covered her face with the bedsheets. She sighed. A couple of minutes later, Gabriella felt the bed shift and felt Troy wrap his arms around her.

"You okay?" Troy asked.

Troy felt Gabriella nod.

"Okay" Troy said.

Troy felt Gabriella move the covers so that he could see her face. He smiled softly.

"How are you doing, baby?" Troy asked.

"I'm okay. Just needed some time alone" Gabriella said.

Troy smoothed Gabriella's hair back.

"Okay" Troy said kissing Gabriella's forehead.

Troy got up.

"Let me know if you need anything" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled softly and nodded.

"Thank you" Gabriella said.

The next day, Gabriella got up early. The twins hadn't woken up for their morning meal yet. She laid down on the couch and grabbed a blanket. Gabriella turned on the television and watched television. She sighed. Gabriella wanted whatever she was going through to go away. It took time away from hanging out with Troy, Rob, and the twins. She wanted to work for longer periods of time. Gabriella was frustrated. She heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Troy came into the living room with the baby monitor and lied down next to Gabriella.

"You know that it's five in the morning. We have at least an hour to sleep before they wake up" Troy said.

"I know. I couldn't sleep" Gabriella said.

"Why?" Troy asked.

"Because I am trying to figure out ways for whatever I am going through to go away" Gabriella said.

Troy reached his arm out to Gabriella. Gabriella moved so that she was laying in Troy's arms. Troy kissed Gabriella's head softly. The couple sat in silence.

"You are getting better, babe. It was a slip up" Troy finally said.

Gabriella shrugged.

"Come on, let's get you back to bed before they wake up" Troy said.

Troy stood up and held out his hand to Gabriella. Gabriella took Troy's hand and stood up. The couple walked upstairs and went back to bed.


End file.
